Nightingale Whispers
by Jackie Almasy
Summary: When a routine mission in a Dwemer ruin goes horribly wrong it's up to Brynjolf and Karliah to rescue their fellow Nightingale from the nightmares and horrors waiting below the surface. Female Dragonborn x Brynjolf.
1. Deprivation

Nightingale Whispers

By Jackie Almasy

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><p><em>I am nearly world renowned as a restless soul<em>

_Who always skips town_

_But I look for you to come around_

_And anchor me back down_

-Mindy Gledhill, "Anchor"

Chapter 1

Deprivation

The loud constant dripping of the ice cold water hitting the top of her head awoke her from her fitful sleep. If you could even call it sleep.

Aia lifted her throbbing head slowly, unable to suppress her groan of pain from emitting from her body. Her light brown gaze looked around her surroundings slowly. Light was emitting from down the long stone hallway in front of her. The corner where the adjoining hallways met echoed with the howls of a strong winter wind.

It was then that she noticed a mist being blown into her small dungeon. Lifting her head a little too fast to study her surroundings, Aia gasped at a sudden pain shooting its way through her head. Locks of her flaming red hair fell over her face. After closing her eyes a few minutes to try and subdue the throbbing pain, it was then that she noticed the blood caked over her hair strands.

"_Nocturnal help me."_

The clinking of the strong iron chains holding her arms up above her head caught her attention. Testing her strength against the iron chains, Aia gritted her teeth and held her breath as she began counting down to using her full strength. Pulling against the restraints with all her might, Aia braced her feet against the back wall and pushed.

Crying out loud again at a sharp pain shooting up through the left side of her rib cage, the skilled thief and warrior collapsed back onto her knees. The Nord whimpered in sheer pain from her ribs and head as she shook her head. How could this have happened?

Narrowing her eyes in thought, Aia quietly searched her memory for the reason as to why this did happen. Looking down at the ground, Aia noticed most of her Nightingale armor was still in tact minus her missing hood and face mask. Holes and cuts were apparent in the tough enchanted leather.

It was then that Aia noticed a large cut along her left ribcage. The cut was deep and long. Though her gaze could not follow along the entire cut, the herbal scent of a poison sedative reeked from the open wound. This would have been the striking blow that led to her capture.

"_How long have I been unconscious?"_ Aia asked herself as she continued looking around her surroundings. There was nothing substantially striking about her surroundings. A single wooden stool was placed near the entrance with a bucket by it.

The lantern that had been placed upon the large stool had burned out long ago as the candle wax inside the glass seemed to be pooled and cold.

She shivered as another bitter cold wind blew through the hallway, bringing bits of snow and a heavy mist. The water droplets continued to drip down onto her head, soaking her cold head. Shaking her head slightly to try and get the water off, Aia groaned and coughed heavily a few times.

"_Oh no..."_

Leaning back into the chains, Aia pushed her back up against the cold hard stone. Bending her knees up towards her chest, Aia winced at the aching pain within her ribs. Despite the pain, Aia was thankful to be freed of the water's constant dripping down onto her.

"_Ok. Think Aia, think." _Closing her eyes, the small Nord woman began racing through the images of the last known memories she could remember.

* * *

><p><em>The rugged coastline north of Solitude was cold to a degree that seemed unforgiving that morning. Rolling up her single bedroll and bear skin blanket, Aia breathed out heavily. Her breath was quick to turn into hot steam rising from her mouth, lifting above her head and joining the miles of mist surrounding her.<em>

_The distant calls of horkers carried through the air. Standing up to listen to the calls, Aia listened to the returned calls of the giant water creatures closer to her location. Behind her, Aia turned her head in time to see her loaned horse stomp its front right hoof on the ground._

_Smirking in the direction of the animal, Aia quickly came up to the mighty beast and pat its thick fur._

"_Are you ready to go my friend?" She chuckled and quickly strapped the bedroll and blanket to her saddle. "Me too."_

_Running her hands along her armor to make sure everything was strapped and tight, Aia pulled her leather hood over her head followed by her facial mask. Releasing her Nightingale Bow and quiver of Orc Arrows from the saddle, Aia secured her armor before pulling her slender form onto the saddle._

_Signaling the horse into a slow trot, Aia quickly scanned the seaside environment. Multiple dead logs and trees decorated the cold environment. Despite the heavy clopping of her horse's hooves, the sound of the tides of the ocean brought in ice chunks onto the sand bars was still audible._

"_This cave had better be worth the loot." Aia quietly murmured out loud. Shaking her head, she looked around for the landmarks that had been made on the map. During a heist on a mansion within Solitude weeks ago, Rune had made a discovery that could potentially bring the Guild months worth of loot._

_A drunk sailor had been bragging one night at The Winking Skeever at Rune. Piqued by his story, Rune had been sly enough to wait until the captain had passed out cold on the bar. Volunteering to bring his "poor shipmate" back to his room, Rune had managed to convince the bar keep to give him a copy of the room key._

_Sneaking another sedative into the man's drink had been easy enough. Or so that was what Rune boasted to the Guild as he had retold this story. While going through his things, Rune had discovered an ancient looking map and from the markings he had been able to read, the payload looked big._

_As soon as he had returned, the newly appointed Guildmaster and her second in command Brynjolf had nearly been side tackled by the ecstatic man. After an hour of breaking down his mission, Aia had looked over the map herself. The Cistern seemed darker that day but as she brought the candle sticks closer to the map, Aia's eyes had widened with surprise._

_Hidden under the old skin of the parchment, old symbols she recognized as Dwemer flared to life. Brynjolf's reaction was just as surprised but soon, the boyish charm she had come to love flared to life. Grabbing the map from her hands, Brynjolf looked to Rune with a wide smile._

"_Well done Rune!" Folding the map back up to its original folding, he placed it on Aia's desk before clasping his hand firmly over the young Nord's shoulder. Shaking his other hand firmly, both Nords laughed wholly._

"_This will surely help the Guild lad!"_

"_You think Brynjolf?" Rune asked questionably, worried that he may have over stepped his boundaries once he realized the show he must have out on with his excitement over finding the map._

"_I know so! Your drinks in the Flagon are on me tonight lad! Now go rest up. You've earned it."_

_Watching him go, Brynjolf's smile quickly turned to a confused look as he looked at Aia. Leaning against her desk with her arms folded across her chest, the Nord warrior grinned when he saw her amused smirk._

"_Something wrong Guildmaster?"_

"_No. Not a thing Mr. Brynjolf. It's just been a very long time since I have seen you this excited about a possible lead."_

"_Well, the Guild still needs all the help we can get." He stopped suddenly, looking around to make sure no one was in ear shot as he took a few steps foreword._

"_Even with you returning the Skeleton Key to its rightful place in the Twilight Sepulcher. Everything you have done for this Guild had been a big help but one in awhile, it is nice to see our other members bringing us the good news."_

_Smiling in response, Aia did not hide her looking over Brynjolf's firm and toned body before her. Biting her lower lip in playful gesture, Aia giggled a little bit before teasing._

"_Pity Brynjolf. I was so hoping to see you in that skin tight Nightingale armor again." Walking up right next to him, Aia brought her lips inches from his ear._

"_It would give me something to fantasize about on my lonely trips too."_

_Watching his body shiver at her sudden sexy tone and demeanor around him, Brynjolf let out an appreciative groan as he looked over her head at the empty Cistern around them. Bringing his hand to her hips, his slowly palmed his way up along her Thieves Guild master armor._

"_Is that a challenge Aia?" His unshaven face rubbed against her warm cheeks as he spoke. Catching her off guard, Brynjolf placed a quick kiss and nip on the skin just beneath her earlobe. The scent of hay and earth overwhelmed her as she shuddered at the feel of his lips traveling across her jawbone and slowly making their way to her lips._

_Just as they were about to meet, Aia and Brynjolf heard approaching laughter and talking. Pulling apart, Aia was left a little flustered as she stared at him longingly before that playful grin he had fallen for showed back up._

_They didn't see each other for the rest of the night. Early the next morning before the rest of the Guild stirred, Aia had packed a bag for a week's worth of a ride to Solitude. Rolling up her Nightingale armor and placing it securely into her pack, Aia climbed the creaking wooden ladder into the secret entrance to the Thieves Guild._

_Pushing the wooden lid up slowly, Aia looked around the darkness as a force of habit first. No unusual sounds besides the chirping of bugs and birds outside the large mausoleum resounded through the stone architecture. Lifting herself out of the hole quietly, Aia shut the lid down only to suddenly draw her glass dagger in response to the sound of a lighted lantern coming to life._

_In the shadows stood Brynjolf, poised and ready as well but not with any weapons that Aia could see._

_Letting out a breath of relief, Aia put the dagger back into her boot._

"_Damn it Brynjolf! Don't do that to me! Are you trying to be killed?"_

"_I knew you wouldn't do it lass. Not when you saw who it was."_

_Placing her hands on her hips, Aia lifted an eyebrow in slight disgust towards her second in command._

"_And what if I had?"_

"_But you didn't. I trust you."_

_Setting the lantern down on the ground, Brynjolf walked foreword closer to her. Sighing heavily in defeat, Aia dropped her hands from her hips when she saw that charming smile and mischievous glint in his eyes return._

"_Damn you and your…" She drifted off in mid sentence as Brynjolf walked right up to her and gently brought a hand to her face. Running his warm and slightly calloused fingertips down along her cheeks, Aia only allowed her honed skills to lessen with him around._

"_My what lass?"_

_He was teasing her. Probably for revenge of last night's unfinished affection._

"_Your sly sexy attitude of yours that's what." She whispered with a smile she only showed her closest friends. He was the witness of them most of the time. Okay more like all the time._

"_Hmm…" He let the sound roll of his tongue before smiling down at her. "That's what I wanted to hear Aia."_

_Bringing her lips up suddenly, Brynjolf claimed with a hungry passion he had been holding back till they were alone. No one in the Guild but Karliah knew of their relationship. Despite her warnings of what could happen, she respected both their decisions. They both knew she was only speaking out of experience and said nothing more on the matter._

_Running his hands along the pack strap on one of her shoulders, he pushed it off to hear it thud to the stone floor. Her bow and quiver of arrows were soon to follow as he wrapped one arm firmly around her waist. Drawing her hips and chest suddenly into his, Brynjolf surprised her by pushing her firmly up against the cold stone wall._

_Moaning into the kisses, Aia wrapped both her arms tighter around his neck. Tilting her head into the kisses, Brynjolf's talented tongue soon joined hers in a dance of battle and dominance. Her hands soon began wandering the clothed thief before her._

_Pressing her full palms up against the leather, Aia could feel the tense and muscular form of the Nord man before her. As their lips separated and he moved his affections to her neck, Aia tilted her head back only just to allow him access. Her need for air was apparent in her heavy breathing but the smug smile across her face let him know she was enjoying every second of it._

"_And what pray tell are you doing up so early in the morning Aia?"_

"_Leaving for Solitude to investigate Rune's find. To see if there are any dangerous traps needing to be disarmed before bringing in enough guild members to collect." She gasped as she felt him run his tongue along her neck followed by physical affections on one particular spot._

"_Just when were you planning on tell me lass?"_

_She grinned from ear to ear at the sound of his playful tone._

"_This morning on my way out. We both can't leave. I need you to run things with Vex and Delvin while I am gone."_

_Drawing his face back up to hers, Aia captured his lips again in a series of quick and passionate kisses. She needed to get this out of the way now or it was going to be a very long two weeks._

_Groaning into the kisses, Brynjolf tried to form coherent thoughts in between her ravenous onslaught._

"_I wish you would let me come with you."_

_Pulling apart after a few more minutes of kisses, Aia leaned back to look at her handiwork and smiled lovingly in his direction._

"_You know it doesn't take two Nightingales to explore a dwemer ruin. Besides, I need someone I trust running the show."_

_Sighing softly, Brynjolf cupped her face and simply stared at her. Nodding slowly in response to her statement, he knew she was right. It would look suspicious if both the Guildmaster and her Second in Command went out on every job together._

_It was something that both had to be careful about._

"_Be careful lass." He whispered tenderly, leaning in and placing a kiss on her forehead. "I couldn't live with myself if I knew something bad happened to you."_

"_I will be." Separating herself from his grasp, Aia leaned down and picked up her pack, arrows, and weapon before pulling on the metal chain inches from their heads._

_Kissing him one last time on the cheek, Aia made her way up the stairs before Brynjolf called to her one last time._

"_Aia!"_

_She looked over her shoulder in curiosity._

"_Yeah?"_

"_You sure you don't have time for a quickie? We can sneak into Mercer's old house again!"_

_Grinning, Aia smiled and kicked the eye button on the coffin to begin closing it. Laughing, Brynjolf watched her form until the coffin lid shut tight leaving him once again in the darkness besides with his lantern illuminated._

* * *

><p>That had been two and a half weeks ago. Brynjolf wouldn't start to get worried for probably a couple more days.<p>

Aia feared whomever was keeping her captive may kill her well before then.

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><p><em>Ok, so the new project begins. I honestly have no idea as to how long this will go. Probably a minimum of five but no longer than ten.<em>

_Brynjolf is my second favorite NPC in Skyrim. He can "lass" me any day!_

_Till next time,_

_Jackie Almasy_

Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is copyrighted by Bethesda Softworks and Bethesda Game Studios. I own nothing.


	2. Yet One Regret

Nightingale Whispers

By Jackie Almasy

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><p><em>People like us<em>

_Know how to survive_

_There's no point in living_

_If you can't feel alive_

-Garbage, "The World Is Not Enough"

Chapter 2

Yet One Regret

Brynjolf frowned heavily as he stared at the map unfolded on the Guild Master's desk before him. The small flame on the large white candlestick next to him flickered back and forth on the wick casting the dim light across the table. Trailing his finger along the possible routes from Whiterun to Solitude, the Nightingale felt his free hand twitching in pent up anxiety.

Reaching to his belt, Brynjolf pulled out a large dagger and skillfully began twirling it between his fingers. Hoping to act as a distraction from his growing worries, Brynjolf looked over the map with his concerned brown eyes.

It had been almost three weeks since Aia's departure for Solitude. Normally by now if Aia were to be longer on an assignment than usual, word would have been sent to continue manning the fort back in Riften until her return. No such word had been sent yet and the nagging feeling deep in Brynjolf's gut was now growing stronger by the day.

Aia was gifted at horseback riding. She was no stranger to it but even the slowest horses in Skyrim would not have taken a full week to travel down from the misty sea cliffs of Solitude to the mountainous regions of Riften. The breeds of Skyrim were built for long distance and strong endurance for the treacherous weather patterns that could show up without warning.

His finger stopped tracing the road at Whiterun.

"_She could be there,"_ He thought to himself as he looked at the surrounding areas for settlements with a tavern or store with ties to the Thieves Guild. _"Or perhaps Riverwood. She spoke of a debt to a blacksmith and his family to rescued her from starvation and exposure. She could have detoured there."_

However, again the nagging feeling in the back of his mind would not go away. His skills and gut were telling him something was wrong and he did not like it one bit.

"Brynjolf!"

Standing upright and looking over his shoulder, the second in command watched as Vex approached him. Her tone was just as sharp as ever but something about the look on her face caused him to frown in worry.

Her white hair swayed behind her shoulders as she walked to Brynjolf with a determination that made even the Nightingale wondering what was wrong. Stopping at the opposite end of the table across from him, Vex reached into her pocket and dropped seven opened letters.

"Seven."

Point eluding him, Brynjolf lifted an eyebrow at his fellow thief.

"Seven what Vex? You need to more specific. I am a bit preoccupied at the moment."

Leaning foreword, Vex spread out the letters so he could see the seals of the appointed contacts in five cities and two settlements.

"You and I both know that something is amiss Brynjolf," Vex started. Her fiercely calm reputation for being able to take anything was oddly gone. "She hasn't contacted any of our appointed people in these places!"

Grabbing the one on the far right, the letter she lifted nearly caused Brynjolf's heart to rise in his throat.

"Even Solitude." Vex whispered softly as to not alert any other members nearby.

Snatching the letter from her hand, Brynjolf brought the letter to the nearby candlestick and read the sloppy but legible words on the parchment.

_Delvin,_

_Your contact has failed to meet me at our appointed agreement._

_No one strange has entered Solitude in the past two weeks. The Guards haven't seen anyone matching your horse description riding in either._

_This is highly unlike the Guild. I hope this hiccup does not falter our newly rebuilt relationship. I would hate to let such a prosperous opportunity go to waste._

_Erikur_

Looking down to the wax seal by the signature, Brynjolf confirmed the ring insignia the businessman of Solitude uses. This was no fake.

"When did you get this?" Brynjolf asked quickly, barely managing to control his volume. Coming around the table, he began speed walking towards the Ragged Flagon. Vex was quick to follow as she cast mindful gazes to their left and right. None of the other guild members had noticed the sudden change in their second in command's demeanor.

Not yet anyways.

"Just this morning. Extra coin was paid for quick passage. The letter must not be more than two to three days old."

Pushing the old wooden door open, the two skilled warriors weaved their way into the open bar and sitting area. The smell of metal and wood filled the air. Hard at work across the small body of water, Brynjolf could hear the blacksmith singing loudly as he worked at the anvil.

"Delvin!" Brynjolf announced as he approached.

Turning his attention from his mead cup, Delvin immediately recognized the urgency in his approaching friends. Motioning quickly to chairs opposite of his current position at a table, Brynjolf dropped the letter in front of him before sitting. Vex took the chair on the left of Delvin, spinning it so she could lean against the back.

"When were you going to tell me about this Delvin?" Brynjolf demanded in a lowered tone. His wide brown eyes were anything but calm. The only thing holding him together was the thought of what Aia would do to him if the Guild discovered she was missing.

"I had no backings for my suspicions Brynjolf!" Delvin began as the older thief ran his shaking hand along his bald head.

"Normally the Guild Master is no longer than ten days on jobs to Solitude. But she's been held up by rain and snow before boss so I merely thought to give her a couple days."

Delvin looked into his spiced mead with a heavy heart. He should have never questioned his gut instincts.

"Aia's never been this late with anything. Hell even after attacked by Mercer she was back in five days time."

"You should have told us you old man!" Vex hissed in a whispers to Delvin. "Now we have to send someone or a small team out to find her!"

"Tell you what Vex? That I had a bad feeling about something?" Delvin demanded as he stared at the older woman. Frowning, he shook his head. "Aia would have hit me upside the head had I come to her with nothing but a feeling of dread! She needs facts and numbers to run this place! Not a bunch of hocus pocus fearing idiots."

"Hush both of you!" Brynjolf suddenly interjected.

Looking to their friend, Vex and Delvin shot each other glares before going silent.

"The fact is now we have a missing leader! From what she told me on the morning she left, Rune discovered a map of a supposed Dwemer ruin." Brynjolf began reasoning out loud. Running his gruff hands through his brown hair, he took in a deep breath before continuing.

"It was supposedly a day's walk north of Solitude somewhere along the northern coast."

Delvin raised an eyebrow in suspicion.

"There's nothing up there but nasty horkers and large icebergs! Plus you've got highway men, pirates, and slave traders!"

"She must have gotten ambushed or something." Vex voiced as she looked at the two. "She's a natural sneaky type if I ever saw one! If anyone knows her way around a bow and arrow, it's that blasted Nord."

"Then we need to act fast!" Brynjolf moved to stand up but watched as Vex suddenly grabbed the man's armored wrist.

"And do what? Send out a scout party on a wild goose chase?"

Yanking his hand out of her grasp, Brynjolf shook his head.

"No. I will go and set out for Solitude in one hour's time! I need you two to stay here and keep the Guild busy. If anyone asks, say the Guild Master merely sent for help carrying back the loot."

"You want us to risk loosing our second in command to raiders as well? I don't think so!" Delvin exclaimed as he pointed a finger to Brynjolf.

"Besides, what makes you think you can find her?"

"I trained her didn't I?" Brynjolf asked with a glare. He hoped the stern look would be enough to hide his dread and fear for his loved one. "Who better to find her than someone who was with her from day one in this guild?"

Remaining quiet, Delvin bit the side of mouth from saying anything more and nodded.

"Alright. We'll run the joint. But will you be sure to send word of your arrival?"

"I will do the best I can." Brynjolf reassured his friends. "Take care of the ol' girl. I'll be back as soon as I am able to."

Less than an hour later, Brynjolf had packed his Nightingale armor, weapons, and supplies. Emerging from the secret entrance, Brynjolf looked up to see Karliah approaching with a serious look on her face.

"Karliah! I need your assistance!"

"I know of Aia's missing status." Karliah declared, stopping a few feet from him. Shaking her head to keep him from carrying on, she spoke with a heavy tone.

"We must go to the Twilight Sepulcher!"

"Are you mad?" Brynjolf nearly yelled. His calm demeanor was quickly fading. "Aia could be anywhere and you want to go in the opposite direction of where she could be?"

"Will you listen to me you blind fool!" Karliah snapped. Her violet eyes stared directly into his brown ones. She quickly continued despite his cold glare.

"I am just as worried about her as you are! But I have come to you not to speculate but to deliver a message. Our Lady Nocturnal demands an audience with us. She knows about Aia!"

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><p><em>I apologize for the delay. Life has not been kind in terms of free time to write. But as my birthday gift to you guys, I present chapter two.<em>

_Chapter three is under way._

_Till next time,_

_Jackie Almasy_

Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is copyrighted by Bethesda Softworks and Bethesda Game Studios. I own nothing.


	3. Shadows Paradox

Nightingale Whispers

By Jackie Almasy

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><p><em>For what has been done<em>

_Cannot be undone_

_In the evil's heart_

_In the evil's soul_

-Florence and The Machine, "Seven Devils"

Chapter 3

Shadows Paradox

Brynjolf felt his heart stopping momentarily as his fellow Nightingale took a bow before the Ebonmere. Quickly following suit, the silence of the old temple was soon interrupted by the piercing cries of what seemed to be hundreds of nightingales. The deafening rhythm of their wings sent a breeze of considerable strength down onto the two agents of darkness. Their leather cloaks lifted off of the ground and began flowing behind them.

Though his gaze was on the floor, Brynjolf could hear the Mistress of the Night herself rising up out of the purple gateway. Her tone did little to hide her anger.

"Every time I step into your world Nightingales, I find myself less and less pleased." Nocturnal spoke coldly as her form hung above the endless portal. The birds on her arms stared quietly down at the Agents of Luck. Flexing their claws along their mistress's arms, the Daedra showed no notice of their growing impatience.

Karliah was the first to reply as she kept her gaze to the floor. "Forgive me Lady Nocturnal! We did not know of the dangers that Aia faced on her mission! She was acting on the Guild's behalf…"

"Do you forget your Mistress's sight Karliah?" Nocturnal turned her gaze to the tiny Dark Elf. Her eyes narrowed in disgust. "Your 'Aia' has spent nearly every day praying to me, begging for help."

Brynjolf suddenly interrupted and stood up from his kneeling position. Taking off his cowl in haste, the Nord's red hair fell along his dirt caked face. The days of non-stop running the horses through the woods and along the dirt roads of Skyrim showed on his skin. The pale color of his cheeks showed a lack of much needed sleep.

"Milady Nocturnal, I beg you to tell us where she is! The Guild needs its master and we Nightingales are incomplete without our comrade!" Brynjolf's green eyes couldn't hide the air of desperation any longer.

"Brynjolf!" Karliah hissed to her fellow thief as shock filled her violet gaze. The Dark Elf maintained her bowed position as her arms motioned downward. "Do you have no honor? Bow!"

Nocturnal merely turned her head slowly to gaze at the Nightingale before her. Karliah gasped softly before bowing her head once again. Her heart felt like it had leapt into her throat. She did not know what her Lady was about to do and Brynjolf was now beyond her reach.

"Beg? One of my Nightingales is begging?" Nocturnal began softly as if asking the air and not Brynjolf.

Brynjolf shook slightly but held his ground. Bowing his head again but remaining standing before the Daedric Lord.

"Yes Nocturnal, I am begging you. Tell me the location of Aia! Let us do your bidding to return your Agent of the Night to her rightful place."

"Foolish words from a lying man." Nocturnal stated coldly. "Your words may fool the mortals of this world but they cannot fool me Brynjolf, Thief of Riften."

Brynjolf felt his breath suddenly leave his lungs. Of course if anyone would have known, it would have been the Lady of Night herself. He felt his body shudder somewhat, the impact of her words beginning to weight heavily upon him.

"I know of your affections for Aia, little Nord. How your fellow mortals could miss it is beyond comprehension. In fact, so much of your mortal ways seem so trivial to me. What remains after all this is your oath to serve me. The contract of the Nightingales is never severed."

Karliah moved her gaze to Brynjolf. She could see the man's tall and muscular body shudder slightly under the scorn of their Mistress.

"I hate unfulfilled agreements. As such, I will tell you where Aia's whispered prayers have been coming from…" Nocturnal spoke slowly with conviction. At these words, Brynjolf's head jerked up to look upon her face. He remained silent as he met her scornful and cold gaze.

"Far to the north of the city of Solitude there lies a Lighthouse. From there, walk along the shores of the frozen waters until you reach Broken Oar Grotto." Nocturnal stated clearly. "Be warned Nightingale. Fail in this quest to return my Thief to her rightful place and you shall fall from my favor. Not even in Shadow will you be reunited."

"Yes Nocturnal. I will do as you command." Brynjolf spoke cautiously as he returned to his bowed position with one knee upon the floor.

Karliah and Brynjolf remained kneeled until the sound of the flocking birds seemed but an echo into the darkness. Rising to their feet, Karliah broke into a full run to keep up with the determined Nord.

Neither spoke as they exited the Twilight Sepulcher. With the words from their Mistress weighing heavy upon their hearts and minds, Brynjolf focused everything he had into running. The nearest town of Falkreath was no more than a days ride away. Supplies were needed and with as minimal sleep as possible, Brynjolf planned to ride as much as possible.

Even if it meant being tied to the saddle of his horse. Even if it meant driving the animal to the brink of destruction.

* * *

><p><em>I know this is very much delayed and needs a lot of revision. I am also aware that this chapter is very short. I plan to do updates on my days off this week. Thank you for your patience and dedication to this story. I plan to update one chapter per week now. We'll see how this goes.<em>

_Till next time,_

_Jackie Almasy_

_P.S. I am aware the summary says Dwemer ruin and I am pointing to a groto all of a sudden. Hehe plot strings will be tied together, promise.  
><em>

Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is copyrighted by Bethesda Softworks and Bethesda Game Studios. I own nothing.


	4. Culprit

Nightingale Whispers

By Jackie Almasy

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><p><em>Are the memories I hold still valid<em>

_Or have the tears deluded them_

-Maaya Sakamoto, "Gravity"

Chapter 4

Culprit

The skills Aia had learned from her fellow thieves came in handy over the last three days. The importance of listening to world around her came into focus. In the darkness of an early morning, her captors appeared in her fitted sleep and quickly gagged her. Throwing a bag over her head, the Guild Master did not make it easy for her captors. Despite her broken and bruised ribs, the two men were caught off guard by her swift actions. While trying to tie her hands behind her back, the injured Nightingale quickly elbowed the man in the gut. Howling in pain, she had grabbed the man's dagger only to drive it deep into his chest.

The screams of his companion were soon followed and despite her speed at ripping the bag off of her head, the back hilt of a great sword made contact with her temple before she could do anything. Falling to the ground heavily, Aia barely managed to gasp for once in between the throbbing pain in her head and aching of her ribs before passing out.

The importance of her hearing came into importance as for a brief thirty seconds while being carried out of her prison and out into the darkness, she could hear a flock of nightingales taking off from a nearby tree.

The second sense she had learned over the years with her guild mates was smell. Smell in the darkness could be a key to life and death. Vex had often described the scent of fire salts from traps no more than three steps before the trap triggers.

"_Pay attention to the smells of your environment around you," _Vex had said to her one night over cold mead. _"So do me a favor and shut your damn mouth every once in awhile to take in what is around you!"_

In Aia's haze of the pain soaring through her dehydrated and malnourished body, she could feel herself being rocked back and forth roughly. The rough cursing of her captors hit her ears. Murmuring something about a captain and how upset he was. Their accents were heavy and not of Skyrim. Slavers maybe? However, it was the smell of the rough ocean waves that told her she was in or near the beaches north of Solitude. For the waves of Solitude stunk with the smell of tossed over spice cargo from the East Empire Company.

Sight was next in her senses to give her more clues of her whereabouts. Managing to ignore the pain long enough, Aia realized that the bag they had put over her head was thin and worn. Worn enough to let her peak through the hole with her right eye and search. As they docked the rowboat along the dark sands of Skyrim's beaches and through the hole, Aia could make out the entrance of a dark cave leading deep into the cliff slides. She instantly recognized the land as still north of Solitude.

The question however was how far from her original position was she?

She soon made use of her sense of touch as she was roughly carried by her arms and dragged along the sand and stone into the cave. Other voices joined her two captives, relaying orders of bringing the prisoner to the captain right away. Whoever this captain was, his men slightly quivered in their speech at the mention of him. Aia cursed her luck.

The creaking of wooden platforms and stairs echoed in the cave. Aia felt them dragging her body upwards, as if constantly climbing stairs and cave floors alike. There were constant windings and what seemed liked circles. Then when her body silently screamed at them to stop dragging her injured form any farther, shouts were made across a long distance. The distinct echoing of the shout told her they were now in a great room. Peeking through the bag covering her head was no longer possible as in the jostling of her body, the fabric shifted.

A banging of wood on wood resounded against the stone and the dragging continued. Their steps now no longer on dirt but caused the wood under them to creak constantly. They went up more ramps until finally, they stopped.

"Captain, we brought the prisoner." The man on her right stated. His tone was short and curt.

Aia narrowed her eyes in the darkness of the bag as she listened to the approaching steps. His boots did not jingle with the rhythm clinking of metals. Leather armor was most likely his armor of choice which was perfect for thieves and slavers alike. However, the thought of combining the two occupations made her sick to her stomach. She may be guilty of taking things she or her clients wanted but she made sure the Guild _never_ supplied to slavers.

She also noticed no clinking of any weapon in a belt holster. Axe? Or perhaps a war hammer? She felt like she would have her answer soon enough.

A deep accented voice responded to the man's call. "Tighten the bonds and throw this piece of shit on the ground. I want to take a look at this so called thief."

Wincing heavily at the suddenly pain shooting through her arms, the ropes around her wrists tightened even more. The circulation had already been cut off to her hands. The ropes would only open the wounds around her wrists more now from the sores of the shackles she had previously been in.

Kicking the woman in the back as hard as he could, the smuggler relished in hearing her shouts of pain as she collided with the wooden floor. Kneeling down to rip the bag off of Aia's head, the locks of her flaming red hair came into view under the dim torchlight. Groaning, Aia opened her brown eyes to look up at the man before her.

Very tall and built, the Captain's brown eyes widened with anger and shock. His bald head showed the long line of scars making their way from under his armor to the very tops of his scalp.

"A woman?" The Captain suddenly screamed, kneeling down and grabbing Aia by the hair. Yanking her up almost to his full height, the woman screamed in pain as the wound along her head began bleeding again. She could feel the warm liquid beginning to run down her hair and drip past the back of her ear.

Still, through the pain, Aia managed to show a cheeky smirk and laugh.

"So sorry Captain! Were you expecting someone else?"

Raising his hand, the Captain backhanded her as hard as he could before letting her drop to the ground. He lifted his gaze to his frightened two men.

"You mean to tell me that a _woman_ managed to steal MY treasure map from MY first mate?" The Captain suddenly took one of the men by surprise as his fist collided with the man's face. Watching him fly backwards onto the wood, the other smuggler turned to the Captain.

"N-N-No! Captain Hargar, we swears it was not her!" The smuggler begged for his physical body. "Arnkell spoke of a man, not a woman!"

"Gods have mercy on you poor fools because I will not allows fools and idiots to be in my Blackblood Marauders!" Hargar screamed before turning back to Aia. "You pathetic wench!"

Screaming at the smuggler to hold her up, Aia winced as she was forcibly raised by her cloak up. Feeling a dagger being held to her throat, Aia swallowed slowly as she glared up at Hargar.

The man suddenly brought his face inches from hers. "Where is my map?"

Aia chuckled, grinning despite knowing her throat could be slit at any minute. "What map?"

Feeling the dagger get closer to her skin, Aia held her breath.

"I suggest you start talking girl or I may just tell my men to start cutting off fingers. And believe me bitch…," Hargar threatened coldly as he leaned in more. "They will be fingers that you will miss."

"I still have no idea what you are talking about!" Aia lied through her teeth, grinning openly. "I was merely riding to Solitude's Lighthouse when your thugs snuck up on me which by the way if you are going to launch a surprise attack, may I recommend that you don't put the overweight heavy breather idiot in the front."

Backhanding her again, Hargar watched the woman groan and spit out blood. "Do you know who you're fucking with bitch?"

"A bunch of untalented, egotistical idiots that not even Mara would show pity on!" Aia cursed before spitting blood into Hargar's face. Glaring angrily at him, her brown eyes narrowed. Smirking at watching the man shout and curse at the blood hitting his eyes, she added her own threat.

"It's you pea-brain that has no idea who you're dealing with."

From the darkness of the room behind Hargar, a voice responded to her statement.

"In that regard fellow thief, they are correct."

Emerging beside the Captain, an Argonian thief that Aia never thought she would see again.

"You…" Aia spat out with hatred.

"The name's Jaree-Ra, Aia. Please do be sure to remember it. After all, I did say you'd regret the day you crossed me did I not?" The Argonian grinned a toothy smile in her direction.

"You know this whore Jaree-Ra?" Hargar demanded as he looked back and forth between the two.

"Indeed Hargar. In fact, this is the woman who sent me on the path to find that map…" Jaree-Ra stated. "She is also the one who spoiled our plan to crash the ship we planned to loot!"

"That lighthouse guides more than just trade ships you sick bastard! A ship carrying refugees from Morrowind was due in less than three days later!" Aia screamed, her anger flaring. The memories of dealing with the scumbag came flashing back. Months ago, Delvin had heard word of a possible deal in the works of Solitude. The wealth promised had been appealing so to smooth out the deal, Aia had gone to investigate.

The woman had bad feelings about the Argonain from the start and her Nightingale senses were silently screaming that trouble was going to happen. They had been right. The Argonian had wanted to burn out the fires of the Solitude Lighthouse, damning ships alike to doom. Trade ships and refugee ships alike.

Aia had turned Jaree-Ra down, stating the Thieves Guild would never associate itself with scum the likes of him. She had even sealed the deal by cutting his cheek with her glass dagger when he had dared to reach for his own weapon. No too long after her departure, their Solitude contact had ordered the arrest of the Argonian on charges of "fraudulent claims and suspicious activity."

"You cost me one of the biggest payouts of my life!" Jaree-Ra exclaimed back to her. Clutching his hands tightly together, he turned his gaze to Hargar. "Lock this one up Captain. She's worth more to us alive than dead."

Casting a dangerous glare over his shoulder, Jaree-Ra muttered coldly. "For now."

Looking to the smuggler holding her, Aia began struggling with all her remaining strength as a cloth was suddenly shoved over her mouth and nose.

"_Nightshade! NO!" _Aia's thoughts screamed as her body quickly began feeling heavy and sluggish. Whimpering in exhaustion, Aia felt her body hit the wooden planks as her vision began darkening.

"_Bryn…jolf…"_

* * *

><p><em>Chapter five will be out either Saturday of this week or Thursday of next week.<em>

_Reviews are greatly appreciated!_

_Till next time,_

_Jackie Almasy_

Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is copyrighted by Bethesda Softworks and Bethesda Game Studios. I own nothing.


	5. Closer

Nightingale Whispers

By Jackie Almasy

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><p><em>In the lonely light of morning<em>

_In the wound that would not heal_

_Is the bitter taste of losing everything I've held so dear_

-Sarah McLachlan, "Fallen"

Chapter 5

Closer

"Brynjolf!" Karliah's distant voice called to him among the ensemble of thundering hooves and the howl of the wind blowing in their faces. Brynjolf snapped out of his gaze, determination wavering only briefly to look over his shoulder at his traveling companion. The sun was setting in the distant background, illuminating the craggy and geographic wonder of the landscape with shades of reds, pinks, and oranges he couldn't even begin to describe. However, the oncoming threat of a storm loomed on the horizon as the rumbling thunder echoed across the vast land.

"Rorikstead is just over the hill! We must stop for the night!" Karliah yelled against the wind blowing in her face. The leather hood of the dark elf thief was no longer covering her fine face. Her black hair flew against the air currents.

"No! We keep riding! We're almost there!" Brynjolf interjected, narrowing his eyes in anger at the very thought of stopping. Karliah's eyes widened for a second reflecting the sheer disbelief of his words. Suddenly pulling back on the reigns of her horse, the large creature let out a shrill cry of surprise.

Brynjolf felt his anger rise to a boil. Stopping his own horse sharply, he quickly dismounted and pulled the reigns so the horse would follow behind him.

"What are you doing Karliah? We can't afford to stop now!" Brynjolf nearly screamed, his heart beginning to race quickly in his ribcage. "We're less than a day's ride from Solitude! We need to find her!"

"_**Enough**_ Brynjolf!" Karliah snapped. Marching right up to him, the dark elf pointed a finger at the horse behind him.

"Our horses are about to drop dead you idiot!" Karliah began. "We've been riding them non-stop for days! Are you so blind with your chivalry that you fail to notice the status of those around you?"

Brynjolf narrowed his eyes but slowly turned to look at the horse behind him. It was then that Brynjolf noticed the wheezing sound behind him was not that of the wind but the horse. The black beast shimmered with layers of sweat. The saddle cloth was drenched through completely and seeming to stick to the very fur of the animal.

Looking at the horse's face, it was then he noticed the fine line of red blood seeping down the large round nostrils.

"I cannot keep this up anymore! I need to sleep! We haven't stopped in almost three straight days with this non-stop running and supply gathering!" Karliah snapped. Brynjolf finally noticed the deep shadows under her eyes and on the skin of a dark elf, she had to be exhausted for circles that deep to show up.

Despite his own exhaustion, Brynjolf refused to give in to it. He was driven to find Aia, no matter the cost. Nocturnal's words still hung heavily on his mind.

However, a good thief recognized when the elements and exhaustion impaired the senses. As much as his heart hated to admit it, his mind was screaming for sleep.

Sighing in defeat, Brynjolf ran a hand through his red hair and slowly nodded.

"Very well Karliah. You win." He replied slowly and not bothering to hide the sharp bitterness.

Too tired to argue, Karliah's body visibly seemed to relax at the news of a guaranteed rest. Letting out a heavy sigh, Karliah grabbed the reigns of the horse behind her and began walking up the road. Brynjolf slowly followed behind, his eyes drifting to the side to watch the impending thunderstorm that was quickly approaching.

An hour later, the two exhausted individuals walked through the door of the Frostfruit Inn. The warmth of the large stone fire pit was immediate. The large open room was filled with wooden tables, chairs, and a single bar. Multiple rooms dotted the sides with entrances along the hard stone walls. Shutting the door behind him, Brynjolf looked around the fairly sized tavern.

A few men were spread throughout the room. Some were drinking heartily from their metal tankards of mead, water, or wine while others were simply sitting in silence. A lone woman in the far corner of the building busied herself with sweeping a broom across the dirty floor, a feat which must have seemed impossible.

"I'll see to the bartender for food and board. You find us a table." Karliah simply stated before walking off towards the bar. Gripping her pack tightly along her waist, the woman made it very clear silently that anyone who tried something would have missing fingers.

Quickly scanning the room, Brynjolf picked a table in the far east corner of the room. Close enough to the fire so that the warmth would heat their tired bones but still inconspicuous enough so that they could talk details quietly. It was a good as they were going to get.

Setting his pack along the floor under the table, the thief wrapped the leather strap tightly around his ankle two times. Finally feeling his belongings were secure, Brynjolf stared at the surface of the wooden table, beginning to get lost within his thoughts. It was then he snapped out of them upon Karliah setting a plate of cheese, bread, and a thin slice of dried venison in front of him.

He looked up in time to catch Karliah raising an eyebrow at him as she sat down two tankards of spiced mead.

"I figured you needed something stronger than wine tonight." Karliah quietly stated as she sat down next to her fellow Nightingale. Wasting no time, Brynjolf watched his friend begin eating the fruit and cheese on her plate. He could see it more clearly now that his judgment was not compromised. She truly was exhausted. Her posture gave everything away.

Normally, the eldest of the three Nightingales was always on alert, poised, and ready to strike at a moments notice. While she could more than likely still have the upper hand if anyone tried landing a surprise attack on her, he could tell her sole attention was on the food and the energy it provided her drained body.

Despite his body silently screaming at him to fill his empty stomach, Brynjolf closed his eyes and openly sighed.

"Karliah, I owe you an apology." Brynjolf quietly started. He didn't bother to look up as to whether or not she was paying any attention.

"I've been so consumed on pushing us towards Solitude as fast as I can that I've risked our own lives and well being. I…I apologize." He quietly finished. Reaching down for the dried venison, he ripped a big section off with his mouth and began eating.

Silence hung over the two companions for a few minutes before Karliah dared to speak up.

"You're never this reckless Brynjolf. Never." Karliah looked up, her violet eyes filled with worry and a tinge of anger. "Don't you always tell the Thieves Guild to be cautious and aware of their surroundings?"

"Yes. That's what I say anyways." Brynjolf replied as he took a small sip of his mead.

"I am no stranger to long stakeouts or stalking Brynjolf. However, never have I nearly driven an animal to the brink of destruction for my own selfish goals." The dark elf continued, her words becoming tinged with confusion and bitterness. "And I would never dare drive a fellow thief to the point of complete collapse."

The Second in Command didn't speak a word or do anything but merely stare deep into his drink as if he expected answers to appear in the spicy depths.

"What do you want me to say Karliah? That I am sorry because believe me woman, I am sorry that I drove you of all people to that brink. I never wanted to but," Brynjolf felt the grip on the handle of his tankard tighten.

"But I can't stop. I… I can't. Not for long. Knowing that somewhere out there, our friend, comrade, and fellow Nightingale is going through Nine Divines know what. It makes me sick Karliah."

Finally looking up, Brynjolf met Karliah's gaze. The look of disparity and sadness took her aback. It was the same look that haunted her gaze for years after learning of her lover Gallus's demise to Mercer. It was the same look that drove her to search for weaknesses in Mercer's plans, information networks, and supposed allies. It was the same disposition that drove her to countless nights of minimal sleep and unspeakable acts that she committed in the name of revenge.

Her anger quickly melted and as did her frown. The tinge of sadness in his voice nearly made her heart clench as it reminded her of the memories of missing her beloved Gallus.

"Not knowing where she is…" Brynjolf closed his eyes and swallowed the lump in his throat. "It scares me more than I have ever felt before."

The loud clapping of thunder and pouring rain suddenly hit the tavern roof above their heads. As the low drone of the falling rain fell onto the straw and wooden roof, Karliah felt she owed it to her friend to tell him of a deep and personal memory of hers.

"Months ago when Aia brought the Skeleton Key back to our Mistress's Twilight Sepulcher, I braved into the room where Nocturnal resided. It was there that for the first time in years, I saw Gallus." Karliah reminisced.

Brynjolf noticed that her tone had suddenly become distant and soft, lost in a memory that she rarely seemed to let herself do.

"Aia had risked everything to allow Gallus and me a chance at to reunite if only for a few brief wonderful moments. It meant everything to me knowing that when I die, Nocturnal would allow our reunion in Shadow." She continued, bringing a hand to her forehead to rub her temples.

"I promise you Brynjolf, we will find her." Karliah spoke in between finishing the last bite of her cheese and fruit. Standing up, the dark elf woman clasped her hand tightly on the man's shoulder.

"I swear it on my honor as a Nightingale." Turning around, the woman walked silently down the length of the inn before heading into what Brynjolf could only assume was their rented room.

Taking in a deep breath, Brynjolf finished his mead and continued on to his meal. His body was exhausted beyond belief but for some reason, he dreaded sleep. Perhaps it was of the probability of seeing Aia in his dreams going through Oblivion and back or perhaps it was the trepidation of Nocturnal's words haunting what hope he had left.

A gentle voice of a young Nord woman disturbed his thoughts.

"Pardon sir but I am a traveling bard. I am open to taking request right now should you have any." The young woman of no more than twenty summers smiled innocently in his direction with one hand on a harp and the other on her hips.

"_Talos forgive me for being sentimental just this once."_ Brynjolf thought to himself as he reached in and pulled out five septims. Handing them to the girl, the master thief smiled and spoke tiredly.

"Think you could sing 'The Dragonborn Comes' for me lass?"

"Of course sir! Nine Divines watch over you!"

Almost dancing across the floor, the woman began playing the harp gently. The trained bard began singing her sweet voice of the legendary tale of the return of the Dragonborn.

Reaching down into his leather armor, Brynjolf pulled out a necklace containing a small flawed sapphire. Clutching it tightly in his palm, the Nord closed his eyes to listen to the song of the fabled hero he had come to fall for.

Furiously wiping away the watering of his eyes, the Nord cursed himself quietly before standing and walking in the direction of the rented room. Sleep was coming to come whether he wanted it to or not. He might as well succumb to it on a somewhat comfortable bed of straw and rabbit fur sheet.

* * *

><p><em>Done. Not sure if I like it. I may edit this later tonight.<em>

_Next update will either be Saturday or next Thursday._

_Till next time,_

_Jackie Almasy_

Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is copyrighted by Bethesda Softworks and Bethesda Game Studios. I own nothing.


	6. Fox in the Hole

Nightingale Whispers

By Jackie Almasy

* * *

><p><em>A fragile frame aged<em>

_With misery_

_When our eyes meet_

_I know you see_

-Plumb, "Cut"

Chapter 6

Fox in the Hole

_"…awake?"_

A distant voice was disturbing the little sleep Aia was allowed in between the interrogations and beatings. From the encroaching darkness of her mind, the Nord thief managed to slowly open her bruised eyelids. The world around her was fuzzy and suddenly very bright. At some point during her fainting spell, a fire had been lit near the wooden platform.

She was chained up next to some old barrels filled with Nine knows what. Once in between the guards changing shifts, she had tried to break open one of the barrels in hopes of finding drinkable water. Only after fifteen agonizingly long minutes of backhand slaps and kicks had a single cup of water been thrown on her. The minimal drips that had touched her parched tongue had been the best water she had ever tasted.

What surprised Aia was the gentle tone of the voice trying to arouse her from her sleep. It sounded so familiar. Could it possibly…

_"Are you awake?"_The soft voice began. A slim shadow fell into view, kneeling down to come closer into her view. Aia's hands were tightly bound together with iron clasps, the metal long having since broken into the skin and decorated with dried blood. A foul odor was starting to arise from the open sores. The chain length was no more than ten links long. The wooden pole in which they were encircled around was strong and firmly planted in the ground.

Her captors had also made sure to tie her ankles together as well. However, her ankles were mercifully only held together with rope. Only rope burns had become aware to Aia's limited senses. Thank Nocturnal her armor had blocked most of the damage.

Lifting her head a few inches from the wooden planks, Aia groaned at the throbbing pain soaring through her body.

_"Good."_ The voice stated, a hint of thankfulness in the tone. _"You're still alive. Come, quickly, I do not have much time."_

"Who…?" Aia whispered before coughing harshly. Her dry throat betrayed her voice as her vocals felt rough and dry.

_"Shh. Not so loud!"_Aia could make out a young man but beyond that her eyes couldn't make out much. The dancing firelight did little to show any details. However, from what little she could hear, she knew Brynjolf had not come.

Her heart sank a little in the agony of her own conclusion.

_"I brought you some water but only drink a little at a time!"_

Feeling a gloved hand gently hold her head in place, Aia did all she could from not drinking all the water given to her at once. Her body reveled in silent glory at the feeling of the cold liquid running down her throat. It hit her empty stomach like a kick in the gut. It was bitter cold but it was still water.

She coughed harshly as the flask was taken away. The harshness of her situation came back full tilt as her senses sharpened. Her body was nothing but a perfect example of bruises, lacerations, and poorly stitched wounds. Jaree-Ra was no fool. He knew he had someone high in the Thieves Guild hostage. The idiot just didn't know he held the Guildmaster and if Aia had her way, he never would. However, as such, he knew he had to keep her alive.

Their designated "healer" was not good at stitching wounds shut at all. The use of Thu'um was impossible. Whenever Aia was forced to use it, she always felt the power originating in her lungs and the center of her chest. Upon her capture, her ribcage had been cracked and bruised badly. Any use of the ancient power would surely crush her lungs and heart.

She was officially stuck.

"F-Food…! Please!" Aia begged. Part of her Nordic pride hated her resortment to begging but if the soul before her had any shred of pity perhaps they would offer a morsel of something. Anything!

The voice was becoming clearer now. The accent was familiar. Perhaps this person was from Windhelm as the accent was deep.

"I have a few bites of bread. Chew slowly! Do you hear me?"

Only able to nod in response, Aia felt the crust of old bread brought to her face. Eagerly but silently, she practically shoved the piece of food into her mouth. The woman couldn't have held back her whimper of happiness if she had wanted to. She almost cried from how good the bread tasted on her tongue.

If her calculations were correct, this was her first meal in over four days.

"I don't have much time! I'm here to try and heal your open wounds!"

Aia finally lifted her brown gaze to the person above her. Her head was slowly lowered to the ground. A boy of no more than twenty winters kneeled over her. His dirty blonde hair clung to his pale skin. Eyes of the bluest skies stared back at her briefly before looking over her body and wounds.

Something about the boy seemed so familiar and Aia hardly ignored her senses.

"Why?" Aia asked quietly knowing to keep her voice down. For some odd twist of fate, she had someone's interest in her wellbeing. The question was surrounding the motives. Were they for selfish reasons? How did she know she could trust him? Nocturnal had blessed her with innate senses of trusting her gut and for some reason they were screaming that she could trust him.

To a degree her thief senses would allow anyways.

The boy dropped a small satchel by his side and quickly opened it to reveal herbs, plants, and salves of all different kinds.

Looking over his shoulder every five seconds or so, the boy breathed heavily and quickly as he pulled the cork from a small bottle. He brought it to her lips. The horrible taste of a health elixir soon covered her tongue and Aia welcomed the bitter necessity with silent thanks.

"You don't remember me do you Dragonborn?"

Aia's eyes shot open and began coughing harshly at the end of his sentence. Spitting out what little of the health elixir was left in her mouth, she struggled to pull away from him. How did he know?

"No no! It's okay! It's okay Dragonborn!" The young lad stated quickly, holding up his hands as a sign of peace. Still, Aia did not relax.

"I mean you no ill will!" He edged foreword slowly, one little inch at a time. "You saved me! Remember?"

Narrowing her eyes at the young man, Aia began searching through her memories. His face did look familiar but she just couldn't place it. Part of her blamed it on the head wound that was now poorly stitched together.

"About a year ago? Near Hollyfrost Farm?" The young man started trying to piece together the memories for her. She quickly caught on.

"The cabin along the road… Your sisters…" Her red hair fell over her face as she relaxed herself enough to pay attention to him.

"Yes Dragonborn." The young man smiled sadly. "You finally seem to remember."

* * *

><p><em>Aia had seen the smoke from as far off as Traitor's Post as she rode her horse through the unforgiving snowstorm. Though it was the middle of the day, the snow did little to hide the large black clouds of the smoke. After ten minutes of hard riding, Aia's eyes widened to the sound of screams.<em>

_A young girl it had sounded like. Rising a bit in the saddle, Aia sharply pulled back on the reigns. The outline of a burning cabin could be seen and from the midst of the snowy onslaught above her, the cry of a dragon seemed to shatter the sky._

_Taking in a deep breath, Aia dug her heels into the horse's side. She only prayed the horse didn't buck her off like last time._

_"Lok vah koor!" The Nord released the ancient dragon words into the skies. The force of the thu'um knocked her back onto the saddle and barely managed to stay on. The horse shrieked loudly, taking a few awkward steps back. Aia coughed harshly, grabbing her throat at the sudden strain on her muscles. The snowstorm suddenly ceased to be as specks of the snow sparkled in the sunshine._

_Getting off her horse as fast as she could, Aia fast towards the burning building. The dragon was quickly rounding back from the top of the nearby mountain and would be on top of them soon._

_"HELP US! PLEASE!" The shrill screams of a young woman managed to break through the crackling roar of the flames. Running up onto the flaming porch, Aia shoved her full body weight onto the door. It creaked and groaned but did not budge more than a few inches._

_Aia could hear the coughs inside. It was more than one girl. There was at least two!_

_"Please!" The smaller voice begged. "I can't breathe!"_

_"Back away from the door!' Aia screamed through the wood. Backing up, Aia braced her shoulder as she ran full force into the door. This time under the weight and strength of the Nord the wood gave way. Nearly falling with it, Aia managed to steady herself to look in briefly. In the middle of the large single room, a young man lay unconscious on the floor with a sword by his hand. Two young girls kneeled over him scared and helpless. Their simple dresses blackened with soot and smoke._

_They lifted their heads and Aia could see the small glimmer of hope in their eyes. Running foreword, Aia grabbed the oldest girl's arm and lifted her up sharply._

_"Run! I'll get him! Get out of here!" Aia commanded as she looked up. The roof beams suddenly began creaking and groaning, signaling the wood was about to give way to the hungry flames._

_Frozen in fear, Aia screamed again. This time she did not hold back in anger in her tone._

_**"I SAID MOVE! NOW!"**_

_Reaching down to grab the young boy by the arms, Aia lifted him up and began pulling with all her might and speed. The girls ran out of the door, screaming for relief and silence from the chaos. Aia barely managed to drag the boy off the porch before the roof collapsed into the burning home. Hundreds of bits of ember and burning wood shot up into the air._

_Falling back onto the snow, Aia looked down to see the young man slowly beginning to come to. His groan of pain reassured her only briefly as she snapped her attention up to the skies. The deafening roar of the dragon fell upon them almost like a ton of bricks._

_Clasping her hands over her ears briefly, Aia gritted her teeth together. When it ended, the Dragonborn jumped to her feet and pulled out her ebony bow. Running foreword, the Nord quickly took aim and unleashed a few skilled shots. The dark blue beast flying over them roared in anger and began quickly turning on a dime to land._

_Aia looked over her shoulder to see the young girls running to their brother's side._

_"Get him out of here! Hide!"_

_Turning back to the dragon, the Nord cried out at the force of the ground shaking as the beast landed. Launching two arrows at its face, the dragon snarled and hissed as it hit the neck. Barely lodging into the skin, the mighty legend shook its head and knocked the arrows off._

_Aia barely managed to duck in time before the dragon spoke the thu'um of frost breath her way. Pushing herself as far back into the tree trunk as she could, Aia panted as she watched inches of ice form on the trunk. When it finished, Aia held in her breath as she prepared her body mentally for the shout she was about to do._

_It was one of the more intense ones she had learned and did not like it one bit. Quickly turning the corner, Aia was no more than five steps from the dragon's open mouth. Just the opening she was waiting for if a foolish one._

_"YOL TOOR!"_

_From the very air inches from her lips, flames of skin liquefying temperatures shot forth into the open jaws of the dragon. Aia watched as the flames burned the scales and skin of the animal. It let out a roar of pain that made her shudder to her core._

_Recoiling in sheer agonizing pain, the dragon reared its head and began shaking it. Whipping its tail back and forth, Aia ran to the side in time to miss the foot long spikes driving into the ground. Launching herself foreword into a roll, Aia wasted no time in pulling out an arrow and notching it in her bow. As soon as the mythical animal collapsed its head onto the ground, the Nord stood over it and unleashed the arrow deep into the skull._

_"Krii Dovakhin!" The dying voice from the dragon emitted, broken and drowning in the blood of its own body. The ancient gaze locked with Aia's and the Nord felt her body tighten with anxiety and uncertainty. She quickly notched another arrow, ready to let it fly at a moment's whim._

_"Dinok hin jul…"_

_Before she could get away, the body began flickering with an ancient light. Turning to run as fast as she could, Aia suddenly felt the soul of her victim beginning to invade her very body and senses. Falling onto her knees, the wind picked up around her. Screaming at the soul entering her body, Aia barely managed to keep herself from throwing up once it was over. Panting heavily, the Nord shakily brought her arm around her chest. Cradling it as she stood up, the thief rubbed her armor over her curves._

_Another dragon killed and another soul invading her very body. Fuck she hated that feeling!_

_Barely managing to hold it together, the woman walked slowly over towards the shocked faces of the two young women and the horrified gazed of the conscious young man._

* * *

><p>"Vidar right?"<p>

Vidar nodded as he finished applying the medicinal salve to her wrists and head. She winced heavily, barely managing to hold in her scream at the feel of his fingers digging into the open wounds.

"Mind telling me why you joined the Blackblood Marauders?"

Narrowing his blue eyes at Aia, the man whispered. "After the destruction of our cabin, I lost my job at Hollyfrost Farm. I had no choice but to move my sisters and me to our uncle's in Solitude. He owed money to the Marauders and I was the lucky one chosen to pay off the debt…"

Aia remained silent knowing all too well the reality of having to do whatever is needed to survive.

"Can you tell me what they plan to do to me?" Aia asked finally.

Vidar bit his lower lip, looking over his shoulder again to make sure he was not being watched.

"I haven't heard much. Jaree-Ra mentioned something about a journal of yours. Captain Hargar has been arguing with the Argonian for a few hours now. When he's drunk, he's not quiet."

Their conversation was suddenly interrupted by the distant laughing of incoming Marauders. Quickly packing up his supplies, Vidar seemed panicked and scared.

"Wait! Please!" Aia pleaded as she looked hastily between the darting shadows on the cave walls and Vidar.

"I'm sorry! I'll return when I can!" Running off as fast as he could, Aia felt her eyes close in the reality of knowing what was coming.

Narrowing her brown eyes in anger, Aia relished in her few moments of strength before feeling like the ground beneath her was crumbling.

"Get up bitch. Boss wants to know about some place called Blackreach."

* * *

><p><em>Dun dun dun!<em>

_Next chapter will be up by Thursday or Saturday._

_Till next time,_

_Jackie Almasy_

Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is copyrighted by Bethesda Softworks and Bethesda Game Studios. I own nothing.


	7. Between Lines

Nightingale Whispers

By Jackie Almasy

* * *

><p><em>Moon hangs around<em>

_A blade over my head_

_Reminds me what to do before I'm dead_

-Kidney Thieves, "Before I'm Dead"

Chapter 7

Between Lines

_Brynjolf lifted his head a little, the Nord looked around the room in search of Aia. The night before, Aia and Vex had returned from a heist on a wagon rumored to have held valuable furs and ingots. They had returned less pleased than when they had left. However, they had not been empty handed. The strong sturdy horse Aia rode in carried two large bags full of fox and deer pelts. Vex's horse took the brunt of the load as it carried ingots of silver and gold._

_Aia had been going through the loot back in the Guild Vault when Brynjolf had walked in to see a look on her face he rarely ever saw. Aia's red hair had fallen along her brown gaze and Brynjolf couldn't help but feel drawn to the beautiful reminiscent smile he saw spread over her face. She had pulled out a single animal fur but the drastic color of its white fur was truly striking. It must have belonged to a rare stag and probably was not from Skyrim at all._

"_Lass?" Brynjolf announced his presence softly as to not startle her. However, the very thought of him being able to sneak up on her almost made him laugh. In the months since she had joined the Guild, her thieving skills had increased drastically._

"_Oh Brynjolf, I didn't notice you there." Aia smiled in his direction over her shoulder. Laying the fur on her lap, she motioned to the furs laid out in front of her on the floor. "There are quite a number of high quality furs here: rabbit, fox, deer, and bear. You can tell they aren't of Skyrim's harsh climate but of Cyrodiil's lush forests."_

_Taking a seat on the ground next to her, Brynjolf looked along the furs and motioned to the pure white one. _

"_What animal does this belong to lass? It reminds me of the snow rabbits we have here in the mountains of Winterhold and Dawnstar."_

"_Hmmm…" Aia hummed to herself. Titling her head, she ran her hand almost affectionately over the soft fur. "It's a rare breed of rabbit from the Nibenay Valley of Cyrodiil. The only time I ever saw one as a child was when I was traveling to the Imperial City with my papa and grandfather."_

_Brynjolf listened closely and respectfully, not prying into her memories as he knew this was a touchy subject for her. He didn't like his past either and he knew just how hard it was to feel safe to share it with anyone._

"_We stopped our horse and carriage for a quick break. I was a small girl, four winters old. I remember going down to the creek alongside the road to fetch a bucket of water for the horse. When I had leaned down to get the water, I looked across the river and saw three large white rabbits." Aia continued, looking up to smile softly at him._

"_Their furs are always so sought after but as a child all I could see was their beauty." She concluded, handing him the fur so he could feel for himself. She smirked at the surprise on his face as he ran his hard and calloused fingers through it. "Imagine what a blanket made of nothing but that fur could bring."_

"_I imagine it'd be a lot lass. Expensive too." Brynjolf's twinkle in his eyes returned, chuckling as he couldn't stop the wolf grin from spreading along his face. "Imagine what we could sell this for!"_

"_Exactly." Aia giggled before taking the fur and settling it back on the ground with the rest of them. Standing up and dusting off her knees, Aia quickly looked over her shoulder before pushing Brynjolf's red hair out of his face._

_Brynjolf shuddered suddenly at his warm touch. Bringing her hand into his own, he closed his eyes as he placed a long kiss on her palm. Aia allowed her eyes to shudder before closing fully as she felt his free arm sneak around her waist and pull her into his form. She had to suppress her groan as she felt his hand give her derriere a good squeeze._

"_Do you have time tonight?" Aia whispered hotly before bringing her lips to his suddenly. It was his turn to moan in surprise as her tongue suddenly joined his within his mouth. He leaned down eagerly into the kiss before suddenly picking her up. Her legs wrapped tightly around his hips. Their collective grunts as he slammed her into the wall echoed within the small room._

_He pulled his lips from hers just long enough to whisper. "Lass, I always have time for you. Besides, next big meeting for the locating of the Thalmor supply camp isn't until tomorrow." He grinned, lightly kissing and biting her chin. "What do you have in mind?"_

"_I want to show you something…" Aia shuddered and managed out before grabbing his hair in the back of his head. Yanking his head up, Aia passionately kissed his lips. Brynjolf remained silent for a good minute or two as he focused on kissing her back. Tilting his head to allow deeper access, Brynjolf kissed her back intensely._

_Like the independent woman she was, Aia pulled back and lowered herself to the ground before giving him a few more light kisses._

_She grinned from ear to ear as she tried catching her breath. "Meet me at Honeyside."_

_Brynjolf looked as if a Hagraven had just appeared in front of him. The man rarely looked surprised but when he did, Aia had to hold in her laugh every time._

"_Honeyside?" Brynjolf repeated._

"_Honeyside. One hour." Aia stated before backing out of the vault. Smiling wickedly, the Nord woman winked at him before turning and making her way to the secret exit._

_An hour later, Brynjolf found himself still equally confused as he stood in front of the modest sized Riften home. Knocking once on the door, it opened seconds later to show a dressed down Guild Master. Her simple pants and shirt did little to hide the delicious curves her body had. Looking her up and down, Brynjolf lifted an eyebrow in slight shock._

"_You bought Honeyside?"_

"_I did! Come in, you're letting the warmth out." Aia beckoned him inside. Shutting the door and locking it behind her, the woman smiled and motioned around. "What do you think?"_

_Brynjolf looked around the quaint little kitchen. A table, cabinets, and large fireplace welcomed any visitor to the abode with a roaring fire. Beside it, a pile of freshly cut logs caught his eye. Walking in, his eyes fell on the master bedroom. It was well furnished. The lass had done alright for herself!_

_He motioned to the stairs. "What's down there lass?"_

"_An alchemy lab, more storage space, a few well stocked chests in case an intruder decides to be stupid." Aia mentioned as she followed behind him. Coming around to look at him in the eye, she smiled. "So what do you think? Did I decorate it okay?"_

"_It's marvelous lass but may I ask what made you buy a house?" Brynjolf asked._

_Aia shrugged heavily at first but then sighed. Wrapping her arms around herself, Aia looked uncomfortable almost as she leaned against the wood siding of the home._

"_I guess… I wanted a place of my own." Aia began, looking into his eyes with a look of trust that still shook him to the core sometimes. He respected and cared for this woman greatly but their relationship was still relatively new. It was surprising to see her open up to him on this level._

"_I love the Guild with every fiber of my being don't ever doubt that. However…" Aia continued before taking in a deep breath. She seemed to need to get her thoughts together. "I still want a little place of my own in Skyrim. This land is my home now. I want it near the people I care about."_

"_Aia…" Brynjolf whispered as he walked towards her. The genuine smile took her off guard at how serene and handsome it made him look. "I am glad you finally feel like a part of Skyrim."_

"_How can I not now?" Aia giggled as she lifted her head and kissed him once. "Besides, I need to break this bed in. How about it big boy?"_

_That sentence had been his undoing and not long after, the house was full of gasps of air, unchecked moans, and grunts of release. _

_A few hours later, a consistent sound of chopping and slight swearing awoke Brynjolf from his sleep. Slowly opening his green eyes, he looked to the empty side of the bed next to him. The thin fur blanket had replaced the hideous green blanket that had come with the house. The master bedroom's best feature by far was the large bed made for two. The considerably comfortable pillow under his head had itself a twin. However, the beautiful redhead that had once occupied the space next to him was gone._

_Looking over his shoulder, Brynjolf watched in silence for a few minutes to watch Aia standing over the table in the next room. Brynjolf had to grin at the sight of the woman. Standing over chopped vegetables, Aia was wearing nothing but his shirt. It was too large on her and only covered her slim body to just below her upper thighs._

_It was the sexiest damn thing he had ever laid eyes on._

_Looking around for his pants, Brynjolf stood his nude form out of the bed and slipped on his pants. Not bothering his with undergarments, the muscular thief smiled as he watched her slip chunks of raw beef, carrots, and garlic into the boiling pot. Whatever stew she was cooking it smelled amazing._

"_I was hoping you'd sleep through the cooking so I could wake up with the smell of the stew." Aia softly stated as she grabbed the large wooden spoon hanging along the wall. Beginning to stir the stew, she let out a chuckle as she felt his arms wrap around her waist. Pulling her back into his chest, Brynjolf moved her hair to one shoulder before kissing her bare one._

_He let out a groan of appreciation. "Between the smell of your cooking and the sight of you wearing nothing but my shirt, I'm not sure how much more I could have withstood."_

"_You flatterer." Aia giggled as she added some salt into the stew. Stirring a few more minutes, she lifted the spoon to blow on the small amount of liquid. Tasting, she smiled before lifting her head._

"_Alright before eating isn't the first thought in my brain, can you please get two bowls from the cupboard behind us?" Aia asked before kissing his neck once._

_Nodding in response, Brynjolf grabbed two deep bowls, spoons, and two goblets. Handing her the bowls, the Nord thief grinned as he grabbed one of the bottles of spiced mead. Pulling the cork off with his mouth, he looked up to see Aia watching him intently as she placed the stew on the table._

"_I knew I liked your talented mouth for a reason." Winking at him, Aia giggled at the look on his face as she sat down on the wooden chair. Choosing the chair across from her, Brynjolf grinned as he poured the spice mead into her goblet first before him._

"_Aye but you like me for a lot more than that lass!" Lifting his goblet, Brynjolf leaned back into his chair._

"_A toast!" Aia smirked before getting her goblet and raising it._

"_To the Nightingales and the Thieves Guild, we may forever be blessed by Nocturnal!"_

_It wasn't until a few moments later that he had noticed the hint of something new in her eyes. It was a tenderness he quite couldn't put his hands on. The intensity of it emerging from her chocolate gaze made his stomach clench slightly._

"_To Nocturnal!"_

* * *

><p>Stirring from his fitful sleep, Brynjolf groaned as he leaned up from the pitiful sleep roll on the stone ground of the Proudspire Manor. Erikur, the Thieves Guild contact in Solitude, had agreed to lend them the key to the large manor on the condition of not attracting attention. According to the Solitude noble, the house had remained empty for years now and the chances of them selling it in the next few weeks were slim to none.<p>

The two nightingales had agreed on using the basement as their main base of operations. The large open basement had a fireplace to keep the room warm enough. Two candles flickered their orange light into the room. Standing up slowly, Brynjolf rubbed his head hoping to ease the throbbing pain from sleeping on the stone floor with hardly anything for a pillow.

Pushing the door open, Brynjolf quickly averted his gaze to see Karliah slipping on a dress.

"Apologies. I did not know." Brynjolf simply stated as he went to turn around and shut the door.

"You didn't see anything." Karliah explained as she leaned down to slip on her leather boots. The dress was obviously made for a bar wench and whores. Containing two large slits that easily went up to the young dark elf's lower thighs, the bright yellow and red fabric silently shouted for attention. Karliah remained silent as she pushed her leg through the fabric enough to strap a dagger belt high up along her thigh.

"Where are you going?" Brynjolf asked as he walked to the opposite side of the fireplace. Grabbing one of the large logs, he tossed it unceremoniously into the fire pit. He watched as a few embers sparked and lifted into the air.

"You can't expect to be the only one looking for information in this town. We need to be on the lookout for anyone looking like slavers or pirates. As much as this town has its fair share of shady people, we haven't seen anyone matching that kind of description yet. And where do you supposed would be the first place to look?" Karliah explained as she put on a silver necklace.

Letting her hair down, the dark elf locked her violet eyes with his green ones. She watched silently as she slipped on two rings, one on each hand.

"The Winking Skeever of course." Brynjolf sighed as he ran a hand through his hair. The exhaustion was setting in. For almost five days they had been scouring Solitude, the surrounding farms, and stables for any information. Covertly but still scouring nonetheless. Nothing out of the ordinary had popped up and Brynjolf's patience was wearing thin while his worry was becoming more intense.

"I'll be there till morning." Karliah affirmed as she reached over and into their pack of food. Pulling out a small dried loaf of bread, she ripped it in half before tossing one section to Brynjolf. She watched as he caught it with ease but not his normal speed. She frowned heavily at the sight.

"Do we have any other contacts we can use here?" Karliah voiced out loud, trying to get his head in the game.

"Gulum-Ei. Sneaky argonian who only looks out for himself but when he was reinstated in the Guild and started supplying us information and goods, he is more than happy to get his gold. Have you found him yet?" Brynjolf asked as he took off his nightingale cape. Setting it on the ground, the Nord looked for a drink to go along with the meal. He settled on a day old open bottle of spiced mead.

"Have you sent word to Delvin and Vex?" Brynjolf nodded as Karliah spoke.

"Aye." Brynjolf took another swig of the opened mead. "I sent word four days ago, asking for any updates or word that may have reached them before us. Nothing yet but I wouldn't be surprised to not receive one until tomorrow or the day after."

"Brynjolf…"

Looking up slowly, Karliah could finally see the dark circles forming under his eyes. He wasn't sleeping and what little he did, he whispered consistently her name.

"You dreamt of her. I heard you saying her name while you slept." Karliah began. Brynjolf looked down to his mead bottle quietly, saying nothing to argue the fact. What would be the point?

"Her absence ails you deeply." The way Karliah formed the statement seemed to be a question more than a simple sentence. She was rewarded with a simple nod.

"Do you love her?" The question took Brynjolf by surprise. Love? Did he love Aia? Their relationship had started off simply as a sexual desire, a mutual agreement between two Nords. However, as the months had gone on, somehow she had crossed that threshold into his heart.

Sure the relationship had made sense. They got along after finally trusting one another but when had it become complete trust instead of reciprocal? When had that look of lust become drowned into seasons of passion at just seeing her smile? When had she finally crossed from fuck buddy to love?

The idea, after much thought and silence, did not surprise him but left him uneasy. He had been in love before only to have it end in either tragedy or heartbreak. That was why he had dedicated himself completely to the Guild. That was why he worked hard all his young adult life to becoming the second in command.

Now that the Guildmaster herself was the thief responsible for stealing his heart from under him, the disquiet of not hearing her giggles, laughs, and tone halted his actions. Not seeing her or knowing her status sent him into a panic that he had scolded the members in the Guild to guard against.

His Dragonborn, his Aia, was in harms way. Gods preserve him. Mara had allowed Aia into his heart unannounced. It was the most beautiful and bitter feeling in the world.

"Yes." Brynjolf finally answered, standing as he grabbed his cloak and attached it back on his neck with the jeweled clip.

"I know I don't need to tell you what could happen." Karliah began, grabbing a simple cloak and wrapping it around her body. Pulling the hood up, the dark elf looked alluring and stimulating all at the same time. "But I will do everything in my power to make the Nightingale Trinity whole again."

Turning to walk to the basement door, Karliah stopped at the round handle to look over her shoulder.

"Just be prepared my friend. For whatever may come our way…"

* * *

><p>Later that night amidst the early morning fog of Solitude, two unsuspectingly drunk Blackblood Marauders sent to Solitude to find supplies were making their way to Proudspire Manor. The assumption was made obvious with the constant grabbing of Karliah's ass and breasts which she pretended to moan heavily under. Her insides were crawling but intel on them had been good.<p>

Gulum-Ei had appeared late that night and shared with Karliah all he had heard from sailors, pirates, and dockworkers over the past week. A group of mercenaries had come into town to stock up and were buying big. The ones sent to do the buying were not the quietest bunch and blabbered up and down about striking it rich soon.

They claimed to have found a great wealth of alchemical and ancient treasure. They had not said where but claimed to be celebrating their newly found wealth at the Winking Skeever that night.

Sure enough, Karliah watched the two loud and drunk Nords walking into the bar. She had worked the allure of her physical beauty wondrously on the poor intoxicated bastards. Questions surrounding what such fine Nord specimens quickly turned to invitations of a time unlike anything they would soon forget.

The instant the two men had stumbled through the door, their chants and drunken singing had turned into surprised screams of terror. Brynjolf was quick to react, grabbing the first man through the door and slamming his face only hard enough to knock him unconscious. The second man had turned to run but not before Karliah had taken the dagger from her thigh and held it tightly to his throat.

The hours of interrogation were brutal. The first had refused to talk, denying anything about knowing anything concerning Aia's description. The mistake of the second man was made upon him waking up and demanding to know if Karliah and Brynjolf were cohorts of the "fucking Nord whore who had stolen their map in the first place."

The idiot was quick to receive the hilt of Karliah's dagger to the nose to send him back to the ground in misery and bloody pain.

Finally, after threats of cutting off the man's balls, the two beaten men agreed to lead them to Broken Oar Grotto. Refusing to say anything more, Karliah managed to distract the sleepy guard enough to have Brynjolf get the two men through Solitude's main gates. The outside guards questioned the men's beaten nature when Brynjolf had flashed a bag of gold in their direction.

The simple orders of carry on had been their only reply.

The unforgiving cold ocean waters and rocky cliffsides grew more difficult to navigate. Nearly twelve hours after reaching the entrance of the cave, Brynjolf knocked out the two men out with a heavy punch to the head.

The cave was not nearly as guarded as it should have been. This worried the two master thieves greatly as they proceeded deeper into the cave. Splitting up to cover more ground, Brynjolf headed toward the echoing sound of hammer on steel. Any Nord would recognize the sound instantly.

Coming up behind the man silently, Brynjolf quickly grabbed the man by his hair, yanked back as hard as he could, and held the long steel dagger to his throat.

"Where is she?"

The smith panicked, beginning to pant and almost cry at the fear flying through him.

"I-I don't know what you are talking about! Please! Tell me what you want!"

Brynjolf felt his patience snap. He normally never wanted to shed blood in the name of the Guild but reasoning was now gone from the forefront of his mind. Kicking the man in the back, Brynjolf quickly grabbed the long metal rod that had been in the embers. The metal sizzled under the hot fires and the man now openly wept in fear at the look of insanity flying through Brynjolf's green eyes. The only feature to be seen on his cloaked face.

Brynjolf brought the metal rod inches from his face. "WHERE IS SHE?"

"Oh Talos please, no! NO! I'll tell you anything you want! Just don't hurt me please!"

Bringing it even closer, Brynjolf felt his heart begin to race in his chest at the screams of fear coming from the man.

"Captain Hargar and the Argonian left with the prisoner and twenty men three days ago! By boats! They were heading towards Dawnstar!"

"Where are they taking her and why?"

"I don't know! I don't know I swear to the Nine! All they mentioned was something about Blackreach! I have no idea what the fuck they mean!" The man sputtered out, begging and pleading for his life in between his coherent sentences.

Brynjolf felt his heart stop at the mention of Blackreach. He had never been there himself but Aia had told him about the wondrous place. However, it was heavily guarded by the Falmer and whatever contraptions were still alive after the centuries of the dwemer's disappearance.

So this was the wealth and riches the two men had been bragging about in Solitude.

Letting the man go, Brynjolf noticed a massive dark wet spot on the man's pants before watching him get up and run as fast as he could. Hearing Karliah's scream from inside the massive wooden hut, Brynjolf ran as fast as he could.

His heart stopped at the sight of days worth of dried blood all over the ground and covering a set iron cuffs as he rounded the corner.

* * *

><p><em>I am sorry for the delay. Real life sucks in terms of inspiration not showing up when needed.<em>

_Chapter 8 will be up ASAP. I am aiming at four to five more chapters. Prepare yourselves._

_Till next time,_

_Jackie Almasy_

Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is copyrighted by Bethesda Softworks and Bethesda Game Studios. I own nothing.


	8. Bitter Depths

Nightingale Whispers

By Jackie Almasy

* * *

><p><em>In the blink of an eye<em>

_I can see through your eyes_

_As I'm lying awake I'm still hearing the cries_

_And it hurts_

-Within Temptation, "Shot In the Dark"

Chapter 8

Bitter Depths

The Nord Hunter shivered in the cold winds that blew against him. Even with the man's thick leather armor made from the toughest bear hides he could find, no piece of armor was ever spared from Skyrim's winter chill. It seemed to be the one equal force that every living creature faced in this rugged terrain of the unforgiving land. The older man raised his face to look into the oncoming bitter winds for only a few seconds.

The land surrounding him was white and gray. Snow and ice covered mostly everything around him and the grays that emerged here and there belonged to the rocks and trees in the distance. His little camp was set up in the middle of a cluster of tall trees alongside the main road. However, it was barely visible now under the piles of snow that had been blown by the fierce winds.

The Hunter hummed to himself gently as he turned back to his tiny camp. The Nord was glad to see his small tent had remained steadfast against the weather. His fire was another story. He cursed his luck and spoke ill of the name of Talos as he watched the last of the flames flicker. They died off completely seconds after he knelled down to try to add wood to the fire.

Shaking his head, the Hunter crawled into the tent and tied the leather flaps down as best as he could. Though a cold breeze was coming in through one of the corners, his tent felt much warmer than the oncoming blizzard outside. He thanked Talos for this. After a quick murmur of prayers to the Nordic patron, the Hunter fell asleep with thoughts of what game he would pursue tomorrow.

* * *

><p>The storm had stopped for now save for the occasional low whistling howl a lone breeze. The Nord Hunter sat on the log he had cut down from a dying tree. It served as his seat and felt much better than the frozen grounds of Dawnstar's mountains. Though the tiny port down was half a day's walk to the east, the Hunter could still smell the salty air mixed in with the wintery breath.<p>

Taking a big bite from an apple he had pulled from his leather sack, the Nord stopped and remained still as a distant high pitched sound caught his attention. It sounded far off. A horse maybe? However, it very well could have just been the wind echoing off of the seaside cliffs a few leagues down the hills.

Standing up, the Hunter stopped eating as he walked out of the tree cluster surrounding his camp. The crunching of snow beneath his feet was the only immediate noise. Narrowing his eyes towards the distance, the Hunter spotted an oncoming group of people and two horses. When they came closer, it was then the Hunter noticed the group was well equipped and in a rush.

The leader of the group was a tall Nord wearing leather armor and boots that were far too thin for this region. Obviously the man was either daft or ill prepared which could get him killed out here. The tall handle of an axe caught the Hunter's attention. However, it was the aura that this man gave that caused the Hunter to slowly back off of the path and give the group plenty of room.

The Hunter watched the man pull out a journal and look around the scenery around him. He put the journal back into the large satchel attached to the horse's saddle and looked over his shoulder. The wind suddenly picked up around them and the Hunter could not hear what the man had shouted to his companions. Whatever it was apparently not good as the frowns and evil glares at the man in front of them was their silent answer.

The man on the horse did not acknowledge the Hunter as he walked by on the mighty animal's back. No more than two feet behind him, he watched as an Argonian clutching two heavy pelts of deer fur trudged on through the snow. A group of twenty men walked by him, each one of them looking more depressed than the next.

The Hunter's eyes fell onto an unusual sight as the men simply ignored his presence. Two of the men were dragging an unconscious form, one under each shoulder of the form. The Hunter could make out that it was a she and from the looks of her slumped form, she was badly injured. He was about to speak up when his eyes fell upon the tight iron chains around her wrists. Binding them together, he noticed tightly wrapped white cloths stained red.

The only man to make eye contact with the Hunter out of the entire group was a young Nord male struggling to keep up in the back. His bright blue eyes locked on with his and the Hunter got the sense to remain quiet from the stern look on his face. He watched as the young man brought a finger to his lips, signaling him to remain silent as they walked on.

The Hunter did so as he watched them walk on up the hill. He wondered what their destination was. Ahead of them was nothing but dwemer ruins and ancient Nordic burial sites long haunted by spirits of the passed on.

His eyes remained fixated on the young man as he watched his eyes turn from stern to worried. He noticed the young man's eyes never left the unconscious figure of the woman being dragged in front of him.

* * *

><p>Hours later, the Hunter was leaning over the large veins of Corundum Ore not far from his encampment. Raising his large pickaxe over his head, the man pounded into the material with all his strength. He watched as bits and pieces flew off but it was the large chunks he was looking for. Ores that would earn him some extra gold next time he went into Dawnstar for supplies.<p>

He found himself singing an old song he had learned long ago to pass the time.

_Oh hear ye! Oh hear ye!_

_To a tale of a warrior true_

_As strong as a dragon_

_But smart as a fox through and through_

The dying pinks of the setting sun spread over the veins and snow in front of the Hunter. He knew he would have to end soon and head back to camp before the temperatures got to be too dangerous.

_Hair bright as the sun_

_Tall as a bear_

_Honor in his heart_

_Bravery as his flare_

_Axe on his back_

_Wuuthrad was its name_

_Heavy as stone but light as air_

_He never missed his aim_

_Oh Ysgramor, Oh Ysgramor_

_Leader of the strong and bold_

_Bring us to victory_

_No strength to withhold_

The Hunter smiled in his singing as he watched large chunks of the ore fall onto the ground in front of him.

_Of the Companions we praise_

_Your deeds forever legendary_

_Till Sovngarde calls_

_May we forever fill our halls with merry_

The Hunter stood up and wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. He smile was quick lived as he heard the high pitched whistling of an arrow fly by his head. Quickly drawing his long iron dagger from his belt, the Hunter dropped his pickaxe and looked around hectically.

In the distance, the Hunter caught the glimpse of a somewhat tall figure covered by a long black cloak. He watched as the hooded figure seemed to nod in his direction before sheathing the long bow onto its back. The Hunter remained ready to attack but watched in confusion as the form turned and walked back over the rock ridges above him. He disappeared into the snow hills.

Looking over his shoulder, the Hunter narrowed his eyes to see an arrow lodged into one of the trees surrounding his encampment. Hanging from the arrows length were two small items. Sheathing his dagger, the Hunter walked towards the tree. Untying the small items, the Hunter opened the small pouch to see nearly twenty silver pieces within.

He nearly gasped in shock, looking back over to the place where he had seen the figure. Rolled up tightly, two notes were at his disposal. The first one was written in some form of code or language he could not understand. However, the second one was simple and clear.

_A Nordic man of the Rift and a Dunmer woman of bright violet eyes will be passing by within a few days. Give them the attached note. A few silver pieces for your troubles._

The Hunter looked over the note confusingly a few times before looking down the road alongside his camp. A Nord man and a Dunmer woman? How would he even know who they were? Why would he even care for that matter?

The Hunter looked to the pouch of silver pieces and weighed them in his palm. They were real, no doubt about that. He raised an eyebrow slowly at his own thoughts. Well, the coins were his now. He had planned on staying a week more anyhow. If they passed by, he'd give it to them. If not, at least the money is his to keep.

* * *

><p>Vidar slowly walked back into the Blackblood Marauders camp. His eyes hesitantly fell upon the mighty dwemer enclosure no more than five feet from the Captain's tent. The building seemed older than Talos even. It gave off an air of intrigue but also forbiddance. Ever fiber of his being was screaming to stay as far away from the building as he could. However, that was not why he had come.<p>

Pushing back the hood of his cloak, Vidar adjusted the long bow and quiver of arrows on his back to prevent them from slipping from his shoulders. His apothecary bag was full of supplies and herbs he had desperately needed. However, the key herbs he had needed were not native to this cold harsh mountainous landscape of Skyrim.

Imp Stool was a mushroom he had run out of halfway on this journey and despite telling the captain it was needed to "keep the prisoner alive," his justifications had fallen on deaf ears.

Vidar cursed his luck at not being lucky enough to find any caves along the hills. The mushroom normally grew along or just inside the entrances.

However, Vidar had managed to scrounge up some left over charred skeever hide the men had been cooking among the many roaring fires. Along with the last remnants of his garlic and dried strips of abecean longfin, the alchemist hoped he had enough left to battle off the Dragonborn's infection.

Coming upon the corner of the encampment, Vidar nodded to the guard standing not too far from the open tent. Ignoring the man's annoyed grunt, he leaned down into the tent and let the flap drop.

Laying on the ground, the Nord woman whimpered every few seconds at the pain soaring through her body. Opening her brown eyes slowly, Aia relaxed only slightly at the appearance of her only ally. She watched as Vidar's eyes widened in sheer worry. Quickly, he leaned down next to her form and set his bag down. The smell of more ingredients hit her delicate sense of smell and her stomach churned at the mixture of aromas.

She whispered haggardly, her voice thick with pain. "Vidar…"

"Shush Aia." Vidar commanded unconsciously and suddenly blushed quickly after as he realized what he had just done. Getting out a small bowl and grinding stone, Vidar quickly began grinding the garlic and few petals of blue mountain flowers that he had left.

He spoke softly and barely hearable. "I got your message to the hunter we passed by earlier today. Hopefully if you're right about your friends, they'll get here soon."

"W-Why…? So much…pain…" Aia barely managed out. Her head was throbbing and extremely painful. Every word she emitted seemed to echo painfully in her ears.

"You're fever is getting higher. The infection must have started spreading in your blood." Vidar stated as he finished grinding the materials as best as he could. Getting out a small flask, Aia watched as the young man mixed water, half of a health potion, and the ingredients into the bottle.

"Vidar. Listen… You need to…go…" Aia began as she tried pushing herself up onto her forearms. The pain that shot through her body was immense and she couldn't hold in her scream of agony. Reacting without thinking, Vidar pounced and shoved Aia back down onto the ground before the guard came rushing to check.

His insides cringed as he forced a horrible look of hatred towards Aia and shouted at her just as the guard picked up the flap of the tent. "DID I SAY YOU COULD GET UP PRISONER?! Don't make me do this again or I will rub void salts so deep into those wounds that not even Skyrim's most powerful waterfalls could get it out!"

Wincing, Aia glared angrily up at the young man as she watched the guard chuckle and then close the flap. She heard the crunch of his footsteps on the icy cold ground as he moved back to his position.

Immediately letting her go, Vidar moved off of her but gently held her down to the pathetic fur roll underneath her. "I'm sorry Dragonborn!" He whispered apologetically, his eyes full of concern. "But you need to stay down! Your wounds are only going to be aggravated! I need to clean them."

Aia panted as she whimpered at her vision spinning. Closing her eyes, she felt the flask brought to her lips. The taste of the concoction was horrible and bitter. If it hadn't been for her weak form, she probably would have spit it out unconsciously. Coughing harshly at the bottle being taken away, Vidar placed his hand on her shoulder and shuddered at witnessing her pain.

Her skin had changed drastically over the last week. The normal creamy color of the skin away from her wounds had begun declining steadily. Now, her skin almost seemed to match the whites of her eyes. The infections he had been working so hard to fight against in her body was beginning to win the war.

Her head wound had healed but just days ago while cleaning the long cut along her breasts and ribcage, he had made a horrifying discovery of puss and a stench strong enough to raise the dead almost. He had done his best to clean the wound and restitch it closed. Thankfully, while on the road here they had come across a peddler with medicinal herbs.

He had traded most of his coins for herbs meant to fight infections, kill illnesses, and ward off further complications. However, he had been too late it seemed in treating the wounds. Her wrists were now going to be scarred beyond reason for the rest of her life.

The rusty iron cuffs had dug so deep into her skin that even stitching her wrists together would not prevent scarring. Instead, he had applied a salve and wrapped her wrists in extremely tight white cloths. The bruising of the kicks and punches along her face were slowly healing.

She looked like she had been dragged through Oblivion and back and he feared that no matter what his alchemical skills now, that it wouldn't be enough.

"V-Vidar… Listen!" Aia begged him as she weakly stared up into his eyes.

He found he just couldn't ignore a request from his savior.

"Y-You need… to run!" Aia began weakly, panting as she shook her head. "You c-can't go down there!"

"You mean the dwemer ruin?" Vidar questioned quietly.

"The horrors that I…I saw down there…" Aia began. Her eyes seemed to gloss over as she fell back into her memories. The look of pain changed to wonder and then terror. "Hargar… Jaree-Ra… They have no idea what they-they're getting into!"

"Falmer unlike anything ever seen, spiders the s-sizes of horses…" Aia continued, wincing as she turned to see him again. She grabbed her side in agony but whispered on. "Traps, flames that burn flesh off of bone, Dwemer spider guardians, centurion spheres, and centurion guardians!"

Vidar's eyes began to widen at the trials and traps she described.

"They're all marching to their deaths!" Aia whispered heavily, beads of sweat pouring down her face from the silent wrath of her high fever. "They're all going to die! I _barely_ made it out of there alive!"

"Nine Divines Above!" Vidar swore as he looked around. "We need to get you out of here!"

"T-There's no t-time for me! I'll only slowly you d-down!" Aia whimpered heavily in between sentences, gasping in pain openly. "You n-need to run!"

"I am not leaving you behind!" Vidar openly swore. "Your friends! They should arrive soon! M-Maybe the Captain won't go down till later!"

"Oye, Vidar!" The guard called before the flap was opened. Two of the biggest men of the Blackblood Marauders suddenly shoved Vidar out of the way and grabbed Aia roughly by her arms.

Yelling in agony of her wounds being touched and pushed against, Aia bit her tongue to keep from whimpering in front of them as her head hung foreword. She heard Vidar's words of questions and dismays at being interrupted in healing the "prisoner's" wounds. Her feet were dragged through the snow causing her to shiver part in relief and pain due to her fever.

When she felt them stop moving, she opened her eyes and lifted her head slowly. Locks of her red hair clung to her sweat soaked skin. Hargar stood in front of the mighty entrance to the elevator she had used once long ago to escape the dark depths of Blackreach. Though beautiful in its plant life and magnitude, the dangers underneath the ground warded her off forever.

Jaree-Ra walked foreword and opened Aia's journal. He pointed to her rough sketches of the mighty roots that hung from the ceiling, of the large dwemer models, and the architecture she saw.

"Tell us what you know about Bleackreach!" The Argonian demanded.

"You don't k-know what you're getting into!" Aia glared at the scumbag. "You're going to your deaths! C-Can't you see that?!"

"Or maybe you're trying to keep us from treasure. Treasure that was rightfully mine the minute you stole my fucking map bitch!" Hargar spat out as he grabbed the journal from Jaree-Re's hand. Shoving the pages inches from her face, he shouted. "Now, TELL US, what is down there?!"

"I will tell you NOTHING!" Aia swore at the man's face before crying out at the backhand she received. She spat out blood before moaning in pain at the feeling of the long drips of her saliva and blood dangling from her split lip.

"Then you leave us no choice but to drag your sorry ass with you!" Hargar announced as he tossed the book unceremoniously into Jaree-Ra's hands. He turned and looked over the small band of men he had brought.

"You five!" He pointed to the outer most group. "Stay here and protect camp! The rest of you follow us." Turning to walk down the ramp, Aia's eyes widened as she was dragged into the massive elevator.

As the men talked amongst themselves, speculating over the paydays and treasure that must await them, Aia closed her eyes as the reality of her future weighed heavily on her. Chances are she would die down there.

Her lips trembled as she tried to swallow her fear and face the likely resolution. "_The Guild will be taken care of. Delvin, Vex, Karliah…_" Aia felt her heart clench at the memory of Brynjolf's smiling face. "_Brynjolf… Take care of her for me._"

As the ancient gears squeaked and groaned to life, the group headed into the waiting darkness below, unaware of the terrors they would face.

* * *

><p><em>My apologies for the delay. I was in the midst of dealing with medical drama and sending off a baby sister to college for the first time. <em>

_Hope you enjoyed._

_Till next time,_

_Jackie Almasy_

Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is copyrighted by Bethesda Softworks and Bethesda Game Studios. I own nothing.


	9. Grounded

Nightingale Whispers

By Jackie Almasy

* * *

><p><em>And my heart is the heart of a life<em>

_From the devil to dance again_

_And the room is too quiet_

-Florence and the Machine, "Breath of Life"

Chapter Nine

Grounded

The stale air hit her face like a kick in the gut. Stagnant as it was, Aia thanked Talos silently for the cold air that fell over the group of men and her with every fiber of her being. Her fever was wreaking havoc over her body and whenever she tried to focus her eyes ahead of her, her vision quickly became blurry and lopsided. The memories of her previous visit flooded her strained mind.

Aia could remember having only felt mildly safe in two places within Blackreach: the old complete dwemer house where she discovered the remains of the long dead alchemist and the basin of the great waterfalls. She could remember having been forced to clean her armor and skin to maintain her strong invisibility. Hiding in the shadows means little when enemies could smell you coming from miles away.

The reminiscing feel of the cold water on her skin felt as though it had happened yesterday. She had taken off all her armor and clothes to bathe as close to the cliff side as she could have. The one thing about looking over the waterfalls that had impressed her immensely was listening to the roar of the water hitting the ground mere feet from her. The constant but light shower of water droplets had felt like a temporary heaven on her skin.

She would give anything to be at that water basin right now.

Focusing everything she had into putting energy into her legs, the Guildmaster remained silent as she managed to keep up with the men holding her hostage. They seemed to pay little attention to her though as their eyes were fixated on the glowing vegetation and buildings surrounding them.

Hargar and Jaree-Ra were still in the front and from the look of their body language, they were in equal amounts of awe as the rest of their party. Vidar was no exception. If his eyes could have been any wider, he would have almost walked straight into one of the giant mushroom stems stretching from its rooted place in the ground.

Aia looked into the distance and spotted the immense dwemer prison that she had barely made it out of last time. She also recalled that not far from the sewer entrance into the catacombs of that building was a dwemer Centurion Guardian in standby mode. To the untrained eye, the lever would have looked to be the only ways of activating the giant mechanisms. However, if any significant sound emits near them, they activate automatically and begin their security route.

"Hagar, have you ever seen anything like this?" Jaree-Ra asked as the group walked into a low ravine. Two large walls surrounded them and what was above them could not be seen from the sheer size of the cliffs. Hargar stopped slowly, eyeing the landscape around him.

As he looked down to the ground in front of him, Hargar leaned down and grabbed one of the glowing mushrooms. Unlike their cousins up above, the sheer size and glowing capability of these mushrooms was unlike anything he had ever seen.

"In all my years of exploring Tamriel, I have never seen anything like this…" Hargar began shortly as he suddenly turned his head sharply to look at Aia. He glared at her as he continued, "It was no wonder that you never wanted this place discovered! Just look at the wealth of treasure!"

Sticking his arms out, Hargar suddenly began laughing heartily and loudly. It made Aia's insides clench at how loud he was being.

"It's all our boys!" Hargar shouted as he raised his fist and started laughing. As if on cue, the men also started laughing and cheering. Vidar looked over to Aia and immediately saw her tense body language. He quietly stepped closer to her.

Suddenly, one of her guard's laughter was cut short as a falmer arrow lodged itself halfway through his throat. The other guard looked over in horror and then up to the cliff walls just in time to see six of the underground monsters coming into sight.

"**FALMER!**"

The chaos that erupted around them was the distraction Aia needed. Taking in a deep breath, she closed her eyes momentarily to focus all her pain into a drive of survival for Vidar and herself. She uttered a single prayer.

"_Nocturnal protect me!_"

Seconds after her dead captors fingers were off her, Aia brought her right arm down. Clutching her bound hands together, she put all her force into elbowing the other captor in the nose. Shattering the bones easily, she turned her feet in time to trip the bastard as he fell backwards from the force. As he hit the ground, she raised her foot and kicked him in the temple. He fell unconscious in a matter of seconds.

The world around them soon became filled with whistles of arrows flying inches by her head, the shrieking cries of the former Snow Elves echoing into the darkness, and the drawing of swords from their scabbards. Reaching down, Aia grabbed the single key tied to the man's belt and tossed it to Vidar. The young man barely caught it in time.

The hunched phantoms of the dark jumped down from the cliff sides and seemed to ride down the rocky formations with ease. Two of the bigger enemies charged into the group from the right side, catching another one of the terrified men off guard and quickly decapitating him with one cleave of their sword.

However, the other men had drawn their swords by now and were charging into battle against the devils.

"This way!" Aia shouted as she stumbled to left of the group, the one opening in sight. Vidar ran right behind her, drawing out his two long steel daggers. The key dangled from the string wrapped around his fingers as he suddenly caught the blade of a falmer running up behind them. Glaring at the monster, Vidar shouted out as he managed to push the enemy back only a few inches to shove one dagger into the shoulder.

Watching its dark and green tinted blood spray out of the wound, Vidar quickly stabbed his dagger to the hilt under the falmer's chin. Yanking both out, he kicked the corpse away before turning and running to catch up with Aia. Managing to come up along her side in less than four steps of his running, he quickly wrapped her arm around his neck for support. While slowed down, the two managed to quickly escape into the darkness of Blackreach as the sounds of the battle raid dwindled.

Hargar quickly lodged his double handed axe deep into the chest of a falmer deepstalker. As he listened to the gurgling death rattles of the creature falling to the ground, his anger filled eyes narrowed as he caught a brief one second glimpse of Vidar and Aia escaping into the darkness of the hill above them.

"_VIDAR!"_ Hargar screamed into the darkness surrounding him. It echoed for miles around him.

Turning quickly back to his group, he counted his losses at three men and one unlucky unconscious bastard who had been assigned to be Aia's captors. Ignoring the questioning of one of his nearby men, Hargar felt his temper boil over. Grabbing the man's stained iron sword, Hargar wasted no time in driving it through the unconscious man's chest.

Panting in sheer anger, he looked around as them with reason and sanity no longer there.

"Split into two groups! Find the god damn prisoner and save that bastard betrayer Vidar for me!" Hargar commanded as he turned to Jaree-Ra. "YOU! Take eight of the men and go east! The rest of you sorry asses, follow me!"

Hesitant and panting from the exertion of the battle, the Argonian thief merely nodded as he sheathed his two daggers. Motioning at eight of the men to the left of the remaining group to follow him, the group quickly ascended the hill and went east. The strange glow of purple and blue hues caught their attention in the distance.

Hargar quickly headed west towards the giant building in the distance and the roar of the waterfalls in the distance.

It was the roar of the falls that masked the familiar grinding of the gears of the Great Lift being summoned to the surface above.

* * *

><p>The Great Rift landed quickly minutes later. Instantly, Brynjolf and Karliah brought their nightingale armor masks up and drew their weapons. Their thief instincts unconsciously told them of the dangers ahead of them. Brynjolf looked around the room quickly and efficiently. An odd copper smell hung in the air but had a distinct stench to it.<p>

Blood had been spilt.

The two Nightingales had managed to find the camp easily thanks to the surprise note the nord hunter had approached them with. They didn't know who this mystery ally was but Brynjolf would owe them a mighty big bag of gold if they all survived this chase. The five guards had easily been dispatched of. Two in dead silence thanks to Karliah's archery abilities and Brynjolf's quick hands had thrust his daggers keep into key spots on the Blackblood Marauders bodies.

Karliah was the first out of the elevator, quickly and silently heading down the path. Her eyes wandered only momentarily to take in the sight before her. Her acute elf ears picked up on the low chiming surrounding them. It seemed to be emitting from the glowing plants. If she had come to this place on her own, she would have investigated this mystery further.

She stopped short suddenly, calling to Brynjolf by a whistle the three of them had made to resemble the cry of a Nightingale bird. He joined her side seconds later to see the sight of a battle. Five falmer corpses littered the ground along with three dead Nords. He ran down as silently as he could and kneeled down.

Touching the ground, he felt blood touch his fingertips. He rubbed them together along his palm. He quickly smelled it before jerking his head away to the ungodly stench of the falmer blood.

"This blood was spilled recently! No more than an hour ago! She's got to be here!" Brynjolf stated as they both took off to the top of the hill. Looking around, Karliah noticed two groups of footprints heading off in different directions. Placing her hands delicately on the tracks, she looked to west and then east before nodding east.

"This way!" Karliah commanded.

The two Nightingales efficiently stalked through the darkness, heading towards a tower surrounded by lights of an unknown source. Brynjolf quickly grabbed Karliah's shoulder as he heard the distant murmuring of chatter and bickering. The elf quickly stopped as well as she listened in. Though it was not much better, she could make out sentences.

"They're looking for Aia!" Karliah exclaimed quietly. Circling the group around a pile of boulders and rocks, Karliah could make out a cliff side going along the tower.

"Go on ahead! I'm going to scout ahead by climbing up onto that ledge! Be careful!" Karliah commanded as she strapped her bow tightly to her back. Jumping up, the elf skillfully began scaling the rocks up towards the ledge above them.

Clutching his blades tightly in his palm, Brynjolf nodded as he stuck to the walls as tightly as he could. He was now no more than feet away as he listened in to the conversations from the men as they began entering the narrow space along the cliff side.

"Can't believe that bitch got away from us!" One voice exclaimed loudly as they headed into the darkness. Only two torches were carried. Brynjolf's eyes widened as one of the torchbearers face became illuminated in the darkness. Jaree-Ra, the Argonian who had tried to make a deal with the Thieves Guild months ago! Aia had returned from the trip to Solitude angry and frustrated, stating she would have rather worked with Sheogorath than him.

The man had let the matter settle and now his heart raced with a familiar urge of revenge he had not felt since Mercer's attempt on Aia's left all those months ago. His green eyes flared to life with hatred and malice and he clutched the daggers so tightly in his hand he thought he heard the material cracking once.

"Will you idiots stop babbling?!" Jaree-Ra shouted angrily as he turned back to walking ahead of them. "We need to find the Thieves Guild contact as fast as we can or would you morons rather face Hargar's wrath?"

The group immediately went silent as they turned the corner. The lights coming off the rocks and plants were amazing, sending hues of colors unlike the Argonian and Nords had ever seen before. Two of the men stepped foreword, extending their hands to touch it but then suddenly felt an immensely sticky substance cover their skin.

"What is this?!" One of the men exclaimed as they tugged and pulled with all their might against the material. Brynjolf watched from around the corner with a confused look on his face. Suddenly, he saw multiple shadows begin scurrying along the ground towards them.

The other man trapped in the materials suddenly screamed in horror as the multiple black eyes of a massive spider appeared before him. The fangs opened, letting out a screech unlike anything Bynjolf had heard before. The massive spider bit down on the man's head. His muffled screams quickly died down and his body started seizing as the animal jumped up onto the webs and dragged his body up into the darkness above them. Two smaller spiders jumped onto the other trapped man and began impaling his screaming form in the chest and arms with their massive fangs.

The group of men became scared and unfounded, drawing their swords and beginning to run in opposite directions. However it was no use as a pack of spiders quickly surrounded the men. Brynjolf kept his eyes on Jaree-Ra as the lizard looked panicked and scared. As he listened to the screams of agony and crunching of the men's bones, Jaree-Ra dropped the torch and turned to run in a direction he thought was clear.

It was then that Brynjolf noticed the Nords quickly dying off but the spiders also began dropping dead to the ground as arrows lodged themselves into the bases of their necks and heads. Brynjolf couldn't see where they were coming from but he knew they were Karliah's.

He rounded the corner and began running into the midst of the battle as he noticed Jaree-Ra stuck in a large spider's web. Even with all the Argonian's strength, the webs did not break. One of the giant spiders emerged from the ceiling and began running right towards him. Jaree-Ra's screams grew in volume as Brynjolf broke off into a full run towards the spider.

Jumping up and over the spider, the thief stabbed his daggers deep into the spider's neck as its fangs were inches from Jaree-Ra's face. Narrowing his eyes at the ear piercing screech of the spider, Brynjolf pulled each dagger into opposite directions as the spider's head nearly fell off from its body.

Standing up, Brynjolf grabbed the torch Jaree-Ra had dropped to illuminate the lizard's face. The look of sheer relief and awe at the thief's abilities was almost sickening to Brynjolf.

"Oh thank the Nine!" Jaree-Ra exclaimed as he struggled against the webs. "Help me out of here and I'll pay you anything you want!"

Slamming the torch into the ground, Brynjolf quickly brought his dagger to Jaree-Ra's throat. The cold calm of malice almost made Jaree-Ra throw up in fear.

"Where is she you filthy Black Marsh vermin?!" Brnjolf demanded as he grabbed the Argonian's leather armor with his free hand. He yanked him foreword and brought the dagger mere centimeters from his skin.

"Who?! You mean Aia?!" Jaree-Ra idiotically questioned in his heightened state of fear.

"YES!" Brynjolf nearly screamed as he yanked his face mask down. His unshaven face of two weeks did nothing to hide the rage flooding his face. His normal temperament against killing was gone, now replaced by the hatred of one of his love's captors. He would make the fucker pay whether he knew it or not.

"S-She got away! Oh Gods, please don't do this! This wasn't supposed to have happened!" Jaree-Ra babbled as he struggled aimlessly against his prison.

"Where did she go?! If you value any of your limbs, you will tell me NOW!" Brynjolf demanded.

"She didn't come this way! Hargar split us up into two groups to track her down! She must have gone west after the battle! Please that is all I know!" Jaree-Ra begged for his life to Brynjolf's interrogation.

Brynjolf brought his face inches from his though his knife never moved.

"Did you really think that the Thieves Guild would not find you?! Did your puny pathetic little fucking mind really think that you could kidnap our Guild Master and get away with it?!"

Jaree-Ra's eyes widened in surprise and horror. "S-She's the Guild Master?!"

"That's right you swamp sucking parasite!" Brynjolf started as he suddenly became deathly calm. His next sentence sealed Jaree-Ra's sentence.

"She's also my love. No one touches my woman." Brynjolf whispered with a cold collectiveness before suddenly slicing the Argonian's neck. Watching his handiwork as the lizard gasped for air and choked on his own blood, Brynjolf slowly backed off into the darkness. Leaving the dead corpse hanging from the spider webs, the Nord almost became shadow as the scent of fresh spilled blood summoned more spiders from their dark haven above.

Like a moth to a flame, the spiders flocked to the dead body to feast.

* * *

><p>Aia and Vidar stopped running momentarily under what seemed like a dark underpass as they panted heavily. Leaning up against the wall, Aia lost strength in her legs momentarily and fell to her knees with a heavy thud. Her body couldn't last much longer. She could already feel blood spilling from the wound along her chest. Her fever was now pushed to a dangerous level.<p>

Vidar quickly brought the key to her iron shackled and unlocked them. The lightness her arms felt almost made Aia sick from the vertigo.

"We…We need to keep going!" Aia whispered, grabbing weakly onto his wrists to hoist her body up to a standing position.

"You need medicine!" Vidar demanded, letting her once again lean against him as they hurried down the dark corridor. Something about the silence of the place set Aia on edge. Even with her fever, she could tell something was wrong.

"S-Stop!" Aia demanded as Vidar did. Suddenly losing his footing, Vidar let out a small sound of surprise as he fell loudly against the wall. Aia's fear came to a reality as in the darkness not far from their location, the ancient gears and hissing stream of a mechanized piece of armor came to life.

Unlatching itself from it's pedestal, a dwemer Centurion Guardian quickly marched two steps out. The ancient weapon stared down at the shocked individuals before bringing it's mighty hand up and bringing it down with a force unlike anything Aia had dealt with before.

Knocking them both back in separate directions, Aia gasped in pain loudly as she felt her ribs shift as she hit the ground. Desperate for air, Aia pushed herself up onto her hands and knees to look up in time to see the Centurion Guardian standing over Vidar's dazed form.

Her eyes widened in horror as the weapon once again raised his hand, ready to strike.

"_**VIDAR!"**_

* * *

><p><em>I know. I'm mean.<em>

_Next chapter is aimed to be up before Sunday._

_Till next time,_

_Jackie Almasy_


	10. Distant Reminders

Nightingale Whispers

By Jackie Almasy

* * *

><p><em>Through the mist I see the face<em>

_Of an angel, calls my name_

_I remember you're the reason I have to stay_

-Within Temptation, "Pale"

Chapter Ten

Distant Reminders

Aia's concern for her sickness fell to the very back of her mind. Despite her mind begging for rest and relief and ignoring her aching wounds and body, her strong sense of duty and honor kicked in.

Her brown eyes flashed to the quiver and long bow less than two feet from her. Before her mind could question what little sanity she seemed to have left, the will to live and save her friend took over.

Launching herself foreword, Aia grabbed onto the bow and strap on the quiver of arrows. Rolling once, she quickly assumed a kneeling position and notched an arrow into the bow's mighty string. Pulling back as hard as she could muster, Aia trembled heavily. Her trained eyes scanned the body for the first fault she saw and her attention quickly fell to the constantly clinking of a loose screw at the fulcrum of the giant machine on what would be the elbow of a normal person.

Gritting her teeth through the pain, Aia unleashed the arrow with all the strength she could muster. Hitting the base of the large loose screw with a mighty force, she gasped softly at the pin not falling out.

Caught off guard form the force of the arrow on its arm, the Centurion Guardian stopped momentarily. Taking one-half step back, Aia whimpered as she held her ribs beneath her breasts tightly. She only had one choice left.

Concentrating all pain and adrenaline into her throat, the old and powerful familiarity of the Thu'um rose from deep within her chest. The pain that was to come in mere seconds would be unbearable but she refused to let her friend down.

"_ZUN HAAL VIIK!_"

The instant the power left her ravaged body, Aia could hardly breathe from the strain on her ribs. She felt bones creak, groan, and then finally snap under the weight of the power. Her fiery red hair lifted by her face as her body was sent careening back.

However, the dragon shout was not without its victory.

Hitting the Centurion Guardian at full force, the loose screw flew out of its slot and into the darkness of the tunnel. The dragon shout disarmed the giant weapon of its right arm. Large amounts of steam and squealing grinding gears filled the darkness, loud enough to rouse Vidar from his lulled pain.

Groaning in pain, the man suddenly screamed as the large right arm of the weapon landed less than inches from his face. Pushing himself to his knees and back away furiously from machine, Vidar looked over his shoulder to see the agony filled form of the Dragonborn leaning against the cold stone wall. He quickly saw his bow and quiver of arrows not far from her hands.

He quickly ran to her side and his eyes widened in horror at seeing a stream of blood coming from the corner of her mouth and specks of blood all over her chin and neck, "Aia?! AIA?!"

Hearing the machine begin to take steps, Vidar reacted as a hunter would. Grabbing the bow and arrows, he quickly shouldered the quiver and began unleashing an onslaught of arrows. Even in the dim lighting of the tunnel, the sparks from the grinding gears gave him a brief light of the damaged form.

"Curse you!" Vidar screamed as he aimed his arrows one right after another at the Centurion's neck. Dread suddenly hit the pit of his stomach as he realized he was out of arrows. Only managing to stun the weapon once more, he cursed his luck and threw down his bow. Drawing his two daggers, the man prepared to fight the ancient death trap hand to hand if need be.

However, the life of the weapon suddenly came to a complete stop as a large double axe landed on its neck. Nearly decapitating the head from the body, the weapon let out a whirring sound of its gears once more before collapsing to its giant knees and then the ground. Vidar backed up even more at the sight of a very angry Hargar behind the weapon with eight men.

Their looks were equally pissed as the torch light illuminated their silent glares. Hargar moved his gaze to Aia as he heard her weak intake of breath, hearing the wheeze behind it.

"Dragonborn…" Hargar said as he lifted his axe and let its full weight fall upon his shoulder. He only budged an inch to its weight falling upon him.

"She is the bloody fucking Dragonborn," Hargar whispered with a seething anger Vidar had never seen in him before. He had come to this place expecting an easy treasure to find and instead had been introduced to a hidden nightmare of untold lengths. "And you knew all this time?"

Vidar refused to say anything, merely glaring back to the man as he backed up even more to protect the injured woman. His healer instincts were screaming for him to tend to her wounds before it was too late but even he didn't know if there was anything he could do for her now.

"Why Vidar? Why betray your brothers? Why betray me?" Hargar's tone was getting dangerously uneven. He seemed like he was going to snap at any minute.

It was Vidar who snapped at the question.

"Brothers?! Don't make me fucking laugh!" Vidar nearly screamed, his bright blue eyes reflecting a hatred he rarely showed.

"You took me away from my family, from my sisters! Dragged me into a life of crime, slavery, and murder! I NEVER wanted to join you in the first place!" He continued, not noticing the spit flying from his mouth at every word. His emotions were unchecked and unleashed after a year of being pent up. "AND NOW I WILL NOT HOLD BACK IN MURDERING EVERY SINGLE ONE OF YOU PISS SUCKING MILK DRINKERS!"

Hargar visibly snapped at the anger flaring through him as he yelled an order at his men,

"Kill him! First one to bring him to me receives a bag of gold!"

Three of the men suddenly charged foreword, all three drawing their swords while another held onto one of the three torches from the group. Vidar held nothing back as he threw one of the daggers at the oncoming Blackblood Marauder. It lodged itself deeply into the man's throat as he choked on his blood momentarily before falling to the ground dead.

Running foreword towards the corpse, Vidar barely dodged a descending sword by a few inches. Turning quickly with speed and agile, the man dug his dagger deep into the wrist and pulled across. The slaver screamed in agony as Vidar reached down and yanked his other knife out of the dead man's corpse.

His scream suddenly filled the air as the edge of the third man's sword cut along the back of his left shoulder. Glaring menacingly, Vidar brought his foot down with all of his might down onto the leather boot of the Marauder. Feeling bones within the man's feet break, Vidar screamed as he drove both daggers into each front temple on the man's face.

The sound of crunching bones and squishing brain matter filled Vidar's ears as he ripped the daggers out and kicked the falling corpse away. The injured man with the slit wrist was still gasping and crying out in pain as he ran back to the group, looking for anything to still the bleeding.

"Touch her Hargar and you'll face far worse than me." Vidar warned as his daggers dripped blood down onto the ground. Panting and trying his best to ignore the throbbing shoulder, he quickly took another stance.

Suddenly from the darkness of the tunnel, two arrows lodged themselves into two unsuspecting men's chest. Hargar screamed in confusion as Vidar looked behind the group. A tall Dunmer woman, clothed in armor as black as the night itself, emerged behind the group and let out arrows at a speed he could never match.

Another man fell as she quickly sheathed her bow and drew out a single long silver dagger. It gleamed in the limited light of the torches as she quickly attacked what was left of the Marauders.

Caught up in the awe and fear of watching the men fall like flies, Vidar didn't see Hargar's immense fist coming towards his face. Knocking the man off his feet with the force of his strength, Hargar turned his attention quickly to Aia.

Aia softly stirred as she heard a familiar voice calling out her name in fear and distress.

"Aia!"

"_Karliah…?"_ Aia thought slowly to herself. Her body suddenly flared to life with pain and throbbing as she was roughly raised to her feet. Her ribs creaked more under the weight being shoved onto her body as she screamed loudly in pain. She couldn't stop the tears from falling down her cheeks if she wanted. They stained with red as the droplet hit the specks of blood along her lips and jaw.

She then felt Hargar's axe quickly come to the hot and sweaty skin of her throat. She froze instantly, whimpering and clutching Hargar's hand on the axe.

His panicked and panting form peeked very carefully from behind her head. He saw Vidar slowly getting up to staring at Aia in horror at her situation. The dark elf woman had pulled off her hood and facial mask. Her bow and arrow were notched and ready to fly at a moment's notice.

"Uh uh dark elf!" Hargar almost laughed at his situation. "One move I don't like and the girl's head rolls to you faster than you can let that arrow fly!"

Karliah narrowed her violet eyes dangerously at Hargar but said nothing. As Hargar took two steps backwards out of the tunnel and back up onto the illuminated darkness of Blackreach, Vidar and Karliah followed with the same amount of steps.

Karliah's eyes quickly moved to Aia for a split second before looking back. She attempted to call.

"Aia! Hold on my friend! We're going to get you out of here!"

"Over my fucking dead body!" Hargar grinned as he could hear the roar of waterfalls growing louder and louder. "You see Vidar here forgot to mention to me while he was in my service that Aia here was the Dragonborn!"

Karliah felt her insides freeze in the fear of him finding out.

As if to prove a point, Hargar jerked the wooden post of the axe tighter to her wounded chest. The scream that emitted from her echoed loudly throughout Blackreach, bouncing off of the rocks and glowing tendrils hanging from the ceiling.

Hargar felt the ground beneath him change from dirt to rock. The roar of the waterfalls was undeniable now, as was the drop from the bridge to the water below.

"AIA!" Brynjolf's voice broke the silence as his form appeared quickly behind Vidar and Karliah. His green eyes widened in absolute horror as his eyes fell upon the form of the woman he loved.

Her once fiery red hair was matted with week's worth of dust and blood. Her face was pale and the dark bruises decorating her lips and cheeks stood out drastically. He could see the beads of sweat falling down her face.

His breath constricted within his chest as his eyes fell upon blood not only dropping down her mouth but from the cuts in her armor. She was bleeding badly, her wrists scarred heavily from the healing wounds, and he could see her body sick with fever.

"What did you do to her you bastard?!" Brynjolf demanded as he drew his daggers and readied to launch them but stopped as Hargar drew Aia tighter to her body. Brynjolf almost growled in sheer anger as he watched the man's arm wrapped around her waist.

Aia whimpered openly at the pain as she opened her eyes to look at the group in front of her. Even through her pain and blurry vision, her eyes softened at the sight of the one person she thought she would never see again.

"B-Brynjolf!" Aia weakly called as she extended one of her hands out as far as she could.

"Just hang in there lass!" Brynjolf called through his facial mask before nearly ripping it off his face. His eyes glistened with emotions beyond comprehension: relief at finding her alive, malice at Hargar for daring to hurt her, and a longing to bring Aia into his arms and never let her go!

Hargar's eyes never left the group in front of him. His anger flared as Brynjolf got too close for comfort.

"BACK OFF OR SHE DIES!" Hargar yelled.

Suddenly Hargar's footing slipped and nearly went off the narrow bridge, causing him to momentarily loose his footing. It was the second that Karliah needed as she launched the arrow right into Hargar's forehead. The corpse stood there momentarily before beginning to fall backwards.

Brynjolf's body seemed to react before his mind caught on. Aia's form was too weak to fight against him and the weight of the axe was dragging her to fall off the bridge with the man's corpse!

Brynjolf never registered the volume and dread of his single worded shout. He didn't know how fast he ran or how he did it. Jumping towards the edge of the bridge, Brynjolf gasped as his hand barely managed to grab Aia's in time.

He held her dangling form there for a few seconds, watching Hargar's corpse fall to the raging waters below. Grunting heavily, Brynjolf groaned at the strength it took to bring her body up. He fell back onto the ground as he wrapped his arms tightly around her.

He immediately wasted no time in kneeling and looking over Aia's injured body in his arms. His gaze was panicked and horrified.

"Aia! Aia!" Brynjolf called to her, trying to stir her awake. "By the Gods lass, say something! PLEASE!"

He almost cried tears of complete joy at seeing her eyelids quiver and then slowly open. Through the pain of her sickness, Aia felt Brynjolf's cool hand move hair strands from her face. Her brown eyes were clouded with hurt and it was hard for her to register anything else.

"Brynjolf…?" She asked weakly, hearing the calls of people behind him.

"I'm here lass! I'm here!" Brynjolf reassured as he looked over his shoulder and said something Aia couldn't make out. Why couldn't she?

Despite him being right over her, Brynjolf's voice was becoming distant and faint.

"…_whomever you are…help her!"_

Help her? Oh, they must have meant her. Aia's vision slowly started darkening despite her desperate attempt to stay awake.

"…_lost vast amounts of blood…losing her! Help…me…stop…bleeding!" _Aia could hear Vidar's distant commands.

The last sight she saw before the darkness completely claimed her was the terrified gaze of Brynjolf's emerald eyes locked on her's.

* * *

><p><em>One – two chapters to go.<em>

_I am aiming for another Thursday release for chapter eleven but we shall see. Hospital tests tend to take up a lot of time and energy.  
><em>

_Till next time,_

_Jackie Almasy_

Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is copyrighted by Bethesda Softworks and Bethesda Game Studios. I own nothing.


	11. Epilogue

Nightingale Whispers

By Jackie Almasy

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><p><em>But nothing's greater than the rush<em>

_That comes with your embrace_

_And in this world of loneliness _

_I see your face_

-Leona Lewis, "Bleeding Love"

Epilogue

Foreign Lullabies

Time ceased to be for Aia. At least that is what it felt like in between her weird nightmares, excruciating fevers, and body chills.

Amidst her nebulous dreams and the medicinal lull, she could only remember vague things. Smells and sounds mostly. Part of her Nightingale nature tried flaring to life at the moment of consciousness, aiming to take in all around her. However, her body promptly refused such a request from her mind.

Voices of strange accents haunted her mind. She could hear what sounded like the distant sound of horse hooves clacking from the impact on stone. Whispers of a soft bell or chime echoed within the reverie of the world around her. It should have been solid to her, like a pen to paper or the feel of gold coins within the palm of her hands. However, it was anything but.

_How could this be?_

Suddenly, the respite of her mind became shattered under the onslaught of bird cries and the sounds of hundreds of wings beating around her. Aia's brown eyes shot open and through the acrid smell of ash and flames, the Nord thief suddenly felt her lungs constrict at the world around her.

This wasn't Bleackreach. No, it felt more like a distant home or a nagging calling she could not ignore. Torrents of black and purple flames danced around her in temperatures that surely seemed like it would burn her alive but somehow, they did not touch her. It was then that she noticed she was wearing her full Nightingale garb. Raising her hands to her face, Aia gasped at a sudden revelation that came to her thoughts.

"_My wounds!" _Aia thought to herself as she felt where her head wound was only to find nothing. No ugly patched stitching, no swollen tenderness, and no pain from the broken ribs. Most of all, she did not reek of the dried blood that had nearly possessed her body day and night.

"_H-How…?"_

"It is because in my realm Nightingale, no honored thief feels the pain of their physical forms." Nocturnal's voice echoed as her tall and beautifully flawless form appeared behind her. Instead of floating, she walked on the purple inferno before Aia. The two large nightingale birds stared quietly at the Nord before them. It made the thief shudder as the black pits of their eyes never seemed to blink.

Taking in a sharp and unsteady breath, Aia quickly bowed before the Daedra Prince.

"Lady Nocturnal, forgive me!" Aia suddenly pronounced in front of her mistress. Despite her best effort not to, her body trembled with fear of what the Oblivion mistress would do. She had failed in her duties as a Nightingale and Nocturnal would surely not so easily forget it.

"I failed in my duties as your agent and as the leader of the Thieves Guild! Even though I know I probably shouldn't, I beg your pardon!" The voice of the thief trembled more as she stopped and took a deep breath. The movement of the Daedric Lord made no sound as she took two steps foreword.

Whatever was to come for her fate, Aia would accept it. "If it pleases you, take my life as an offering! I beg you; do not hurt my beloved guild!"

The sudden snapping of tone took Aia by surprise because it was not out of anger but annoyance. "Foolish mortal! Did you not hear my words or is your fragile body unable of comprehending praises from your Mistress?!"

Aia's green eyes widened in the aftermath of the words. She must be dead. Yes, she was dead from a blow to the head and the aftermath of it carried with her into the afterlife of the Ebonmere.

"Raise your head Nightingale. I wish to look into the eyes of the one who did my bidding without question."

It was slow going but eventually Aia's eyes dared to look into the infinite violet gaze of Nocturnal.

"I… I do not understand milord."

"It is of no consequence for the length of my strings reach far beyond your comprehension. The only thing that matter my agent is that you did as I commanded." Nocturnal began as she started walking in slow circles around Aia.

"Despite behind captured, you did not reveal your status in the Thieves Guild. I demand an answer!"

Aia bit her lip as she tried remembering the last couple of weeks. It had been utter hell but something inside of her had told her to keep going and to keep the faith. A good thief revealed nothing but the pain had been excruciating. Truthfully, she did not know how much longer she could have held to those beliefs.

"It felt wrong to betray the Guild, Lady Nocturnal." Aia dumbly answered. It felt like an answer a child would say but it struck true in the very core of who she was.

"Is that all? Surely you have the words to be more articulate." Nocturnal nearly laughed as she narrowed her eyes at the thief. The dangerous spark of playful energy glittered within her eyes. The smirk spreading across her face almost made Aia tremble with what if scenarios flying through her mind.

"It…It felt like I would be betraying the very core of who I was. For years, I have dedicated myself to the Guild, setting her free from the chains of despondency that came with Gallus's demise, and return her to your good favor. However, it has become much more than that." Aia began as a whisper but slowly grew in the volume and strength of her voice.

"On that day, I swore to become part of your trinity. A new sense of duty filled my very core and fueled me to bring honor to you and my family. They are more than just my comrades. They-They are…"

Nocturnal interrupted. "They are the reason for your purpose in your mortal world." The gentle tone took Aia by surprise but silently, she nodded.

"You are finally beginning to understand what it truly means to be my Nightingale. Perhaps, someday, you shall become my favorite…" Nocturnal stopped walking in circles around her.

"Milady?"

"Silence! I am not through!" Nocturnal commanded. Once silence instantly prevailed, she continued. "The level of your obedience exceeds even your own understanding. You did not tell of your secret because of your belief in your Mistress. It is more than your reason, it becoming your essence."

"My essence?" Aia questioned out loud, never raising her eyes higher than Nocturnal's.

"Yes little mortal, your essence. You shall one day understand what it is I speak of. Long ago, Gallus himself stood in your very place and pondered the very same thing." Nocturnal whispered as if in a lull, like a mother humming a lullaby to a child.

Aia felt her heart clench in her chest. If Gallus had done this once before, then was she truly dead?

"However, it is not your time to join the Ebonmere and Shadow. You have much of my work to do in your mortal world." Nocturnal said.

"Remember Nightingale," Nocturnal warned as she began taking steps back and raising her arms with the nightingales still silently perched upon. "I am always watching and expect greatness out of you."

Before Aia could question the Daedric Lord further, the nightingales suddenly broke into hundreds of birds, seeming to burst from the very feathers of the originals. Screeching and swirling around the unsuspecting woman, Aia screamed in terror as one of the birds began descending upon her.

Aia was no longer in the world of Oblivion and the Ebonmere but back into the reality of her pain, wounds, and nearly broken body. Her eyes shot open, reflecting the echoing pain of her broken bones and still aching wounds. She struggled against the blanket covering her as if experiencing a seizure.

The roof over her was thin and composed of leather, consisting of a tent. However that is all her blurry gaze could make out. Despite the pain, she felt a pair of two strong hands grasp her forearms and pin her down. She struggled against her assailant but failed miserably.

It was a noise in the background came to the foreground of her mind. It caught her attention finally. It consisted of a drone sound, a rhythmatic ensemble of voices and purrs.

"Peace Nord. This one wishes you no harm." A male Khajiit spoke softly.

Aia strained to speak but no words came. Only broken syllables held back by the desperate need of water.

"It has worked elder!" Another female voice chimed in, excitement lacing her words. "The praying and potions have blocked the infection!"

"For now yes but Khajiit must wait. She may still be lost to us." He stood up, motioning to the heavy armor clad guard by the door. "Please bring in the other three. They will want to know what has happened."

"_B-Brynjolf…?"_

Before Aia could see the tent flap open, darkness consumed her mind once again.

* * *

><p>The first thing she heard upon returning to consciousness was the distant crackling of embers and wood within a fire. Opening her eyes slowly, Aia dared not move from the peaceful break from her bodily pain. She was lying down upon a leather bedroll with her head propped up under a large straw pillow. A very thick fur blanket covered her form causing her skin to become tickled under the animal hair. Aia suddenly realized she was stark naked under the blanket.<p>

Moving her head up, she openly cried out at the pain coming from her ribs. The sound caused Brynjolf who was lying next to her upon the ground to stir awake. He turned to her with relief and worry plastered upon his face. He was dressed in his normal leather armor with not a garment of his Nightingale armor in sight.

"Aia! Stop moving lass, you're safe." Brynjolf instructed as he immediately leaned over her. Bringing one large and warm palm to her face, Aia stopped breathing heavily as she looked up into his face. After three seconds of recognition, Aia's brown eyes betrayed the cool composition she was known for even through her pain. Tears suddenly flooded down her cheeks as her lips trembled with whispering his name.

Closing his eyes, Brynjolf silenced her cries with his lips descending onto hers. Keeping the one hand on her cheek, the other gently cradled the back of her head as he desperately fought to keep his desperateness in check. Kissing her over and over, Brynjolf let out a small whimper only loud enough for her to hear as she eagerly but weakly returned his affections.

He felt her hands softly grasp the leather belts on his cuirass. He could hear the material of the bandages rubbing against the buckles, signaling her still healing wounds. Finally, they separated but only to Brynjolf placing tender butterfly kisses along her face and eyelids.

"By the Gods lass, I thought I had lost you!" Brynjolf whispered as he lowered her head back to the straw pillow. "We didn't think you were going to wake up!"

"W-Water…" Aia whispered as the tears finally subsided. Wiping the tears away with his thumbs and palm, he grasped the wooden spoon from a nearby bucket and brought it slowly to her lips. She drank greedily and begged for more until almost four spoonfuls later.

"How long was I out?" Aia asked as she looked to Brynjolf. Her hands still held tightly onto his leather armor, refusing to let go.

Brynjolf seemed to acknowledge this fear silently as his hands reached down and brought them to hers. Holding onto them gently, he intertwined each and every finger while answering her. "Almost a whole week. You've been coming in and out of consciousness but nothing substantial."

Nodding slowly, she looked around the large tent. A small fireplace burned no more than a few feet from her. Decorations of unknown origins hung around the area with multiple bowls of herbs, potions, and brandy. A large and locked treasure chest stood near the entrance. Her curiosity had been piqued.

"Where are we?" She asked. She felt stupid asking only simply repetitive questions but it was all her exhausted body could muster right now.

"This is the camp of Ri'saad, the Khajiit leader of all the trader caravans in Skyrim. He was leaving Dawnstar when he saw us coming down the road. He quickly recognized you from your last encounter with him and offered us shelter and a place to let you heal. We…" Brynjolf choked, unable to keep his fear of the past week in check. "We were trying to rush you to a healer."

Looking down at the blanket, she began to raise it when Brynjolf gently stopped her and shook his head. "You don't want to see lass. It's not very pretty. Your ribs were cracked in multiple places. The wound along your chest is finally healing but Ri'saad said there was nothing he could do to stop the scarring."

He continued. "Your head wound was healing thanks to your friend Vidar. Your wrists are as well but they also will be scarred for life. The infection had spread into your blood and was poisoning your whole body. Ri'saad had no idea if he would be able to save you…"

"What happened?" Aia's hold on his hands tightened.

"Hargar is dead as well as Jaree-Ra. All of the men who went with him were killed. No one but us knows of Blackreach's location." Brynjolf eased her mind as he gently shushed her with a gentle kiss on the lips.

Aia closed her eyes and held it for awhile before slowly pulling away.

"Vidar? Karliah?"

"Karliah left about three days ago to ride ahead of us. We are on our way to Riften but had to make a stop in Windhelm. Ri'saad cannot miss trading spots and this gives you time to heal. We'll leave in a few days and travel with a private wagon to Riften." Brynjolf explained as he sighed and sat down next to her.

"As for Vidar, I owe the boy an apology. He kept you alive during your capture and I let the boy have it across the face the instant he tried taking you away from me. He has kept his distance since but still checks on you every few hours." His green eyes sparked with that old curiosity he could not keel still. "Where did you meet him?"

Aia chuckled softly and smiled for the first time in weeks. "It's a long story. I'll tell you it when we get back to Riften but he is a good man. I want to offer him and his sisters a home in Riften."

Brynjolf's eyes could not hide the shock at her words but he slowly nodded in acknowledgment. "I'll see to purchasing them a home when we get back. I will give the boy this. He knows his herbs and potions. Even Ri'saad, a respected healer among his people, was impressed with how long he kept you alive with those injuries and infections."

Aia gently interrupted him as she brought a hand to his lips. Brynjolf closed his eyes at the feel of her skin on his. Even at the simplest touch of her fingertips, a shiver went down his spine. He never realized how much he loved those shivers until now.

Feeling her palm on his face now, Brynjolf looked down into her eyes silently.

"I need to tell you something." Aia began softly. "Something I should have told you a long time ago but I didn't even understand it yet myself."

"I love you Brynjolf. I love you as much as a thief can love." She smiled to her words, trying to read his face. Brynjolf was always good at keeping a straight face. It was why no one would play games of chance with him.

Slowly, a smile spread across his face as Brynjolf nodded to her. Kissing her forehead with a tenderness she had never witnessed before, Aia let out a soft moan at feeling his lips travel slowly down her face, along the bridge of her nose, to the final destination of her lips. The single kiss was soft but deep.

"And I you Aia. I love you." The simple declaration seemed enough for now and before she could stop herself, Aia slowly fell back asleep holding onto his hands.

However this time it was with the reassurance that he would be there when she awoke. The healing could finally begin.

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><p><em>Done! Thank you for joining me in this crazy one-shot journey. Once I am done a Farkas pairing idea, I plan on putting up a smut one-shot and a possible sequel to this down the road.<em>

_Many thanks to my muse Amy, the followers/readers, reviewers, and Bethesda for making such an awesome game. I am looking foreword to the next downloadable content!_

_Till next time,_

_Jackie Almasy_

_P.S. I'd appreciate your thoughts on a possible sequel._

Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is copyrighted by Bethesda Softworks and Bethesda Game Studios. I own nothing.


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